When will the hearing be held in the furniture 'scam' case?
Shiv Sena-UBT (Uddhav balasaheb Thackeray) leader Aditya thackeray on friday said that maharashtra Lokayukta has scheduled the hearing of the alleged 'street furniture' scam case in Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) for february next year. Addressing a press conference, thackeray also criticized the state government for 'delay' in inaugurating several infrastructure projects. He said, “I have received information from the Lokayukta that the hearing of the Rs 263 crore street furniture scam is to be held in February. I have been asked to appear before him (Lokayukta) along with the BMC Commissioner and Administrator and the Secretary of the Urban Development Department.
Former environment minister's allegation
The state's former environment minister has alleged that there were scams in the civic body, which has had no elected representatives since the beginning of last year. Regarding this he had knocked on the door of Lokayukta. On the delay in inauguration of infrastructure projects, thackeray said that despite the completion of work on mumbai Trans Harbor Link (MTHL), Digha station between thane and Airoli, Dombivali-Mankoli bridge etc., they have not been opened to the public.
According to media reports, thackeray said that BMC has given Rs 22 crore to contractors in the street furniture scam and we will raise questions on it. “Why did BMC pay Rs 22 crore to contractors? What happened to that money?” He said that in the coming days, he will raise the matter of difference in the road tender amount with the Lokayukta. In march 2023, the opposition mla alleged that there was a street furniture contract scam of Rs 263 crore in BMC and wrote several letters to BMC Commissioner IS Chahal. Later in April, thackeray had also sought the report of a three-member committee that had finalized 13 street furniture items and the locations to install them.