MUMBAI: Even as the income-tax (I-T) department continued its searches at the premises of Shiv Sena corporator and civic standing committee chairman Yashwant Jadhav and his aides on Sunday, the Shiv Sena-led BMC plans to table 179 proposals worth around Rs 2,000 crore at the panel's Wednesday meeting.
BJP, however, said it will oppose the move, and demanded that only emergency proposals be tabled and cleared.
As the tenure of the elected civic body ends on March 7, there is a scramble to clear proposals for various projects and purchases, sources said. Claiming that most of the 179 proposals are "to fund Shiv Sena" for the upcoming BMC elections, BJP corporator Vinod Mishra said: "The proposals moved include contracts for trenching worth Rs 380 crore and water lines' projects. They also want to make payments for jumbo Covid centres at Dahisar, Nesco and Richardson and Cruddas at Byculla. These are all scam-tainted proposals... Even if they give five minutes for each proposal, it will take 16 hours to clear them, but Sena wants to clear all 180 proposals in two hours," He threatened to protest and move the Bombay high court if the proposals are not withdrawn.
Jadhav, who has been heading the civic standing committee for four consecutive years, holds the key to the finances of the country's richest municipal body. According to many in the Sena circles, he enjoys the clout of a cabinet minister as he is close to the party top brass. According to rough estimates, Jadhav as the panel chairperson has cleared proposals worth at least Rs 50,000 crore in the last four years, which include big-ticket infrastructure projects and contracts for civic services.
Samajwadi Party corporator Rais Shaikh said it was unethical for the standing panel to clear proposals days before its term was ending. "It is unfair that proposals worth crores which will have an impact on the next elected body will be cleared by this committee," he said.
BJP MLA Ameet Satam pointed out: "On the one hand, the standing committee chairperson is facing I-T raids and on the other hand, they are not shying away from brutal corruption. It seems they will lose the BMC and are making this last attempt to loot the city."
