Shoddy road works takes toll of BMC CE, few others
BMC to suspend chief engineer (roads), report admits irregularities
Following the suspension of chief engineer (CE) of the BMC’s vigilance department in the nullah safai scam, the civic body will now suspend the chief engineer of its roads department in connection with irregularities in premonsoon road works. The enquiry report regarding irregularities in major road works submitted to Mayor Snehal Ambekar by Municipal Commissioner Ajoy Mehta on Monday said there was complete failure of administrative machinery that could not keep check on the irregularities, resulting in poor roads.
The report indicated an average of 53 per cent irregularities in all the 34 road works inspected by the enquiry committee. It read, ‘Not even a single road work was carried out as per the parameters decided by the BMC’; ‘irregularities’ range between 38 per cent and 100 per cent in all of them. These include haphazard resurfacing of roads and use of cheap material.
The report identified two civic officials, six contractors, and two third party auditors to be responsible for the irregularities. Following this, the civic body will blacklist the six contractors and lodge FIRs against them. It will also bar the third party auditors from taking on municipal work henceforth, and will suspend Ashok Pawar, chief engineer (roads). The report also found chief engineer (vigilance) guilty of charges of corruption. He has already been suspended in the nullah safai scam of the previous monsoon.
The enquiry report said a weak administration is responsible for the irregularities. Therefore, it holds all officials of the roads department guilty including sub-engineers, assistant-engineers, executive-engineers, deputy chief engineer and chief engineer apart from a 'senior civic official'. According to sources, an official of the level of Additional Municipal Commissioner will also be charged. Action will be taken against all the concerned officials so that civic administrative work remains unhindered. In the first phase, action will be taken against the senior officials and junior officials will be charged later.