Mumbai civic body rejects ‘scam’ claim in setting up giant COVID-19 hubs

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The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation has said the allegation of Rs 100 crore scam in setting up COVID-19 jumbo centers is “baseless” as only Rs 33.13 crore was spent on providing labor- work in two of these facilities in the city.

In addition, the issue of verification of forgery of the partnership deed, stamped paper of the contract with a hospital management services company is the responsibility of the Department of Registration and the Controller of Stamps and is not within the jurisdiction of the BMC.

Therefore, it is completely wrong to accuse the city administration in this regard, BMC chief Iqbal Singh Chahal said in a statement on Saturday.

On the question of the different dates mentioned on the paper of the stamp and the last page of the act of partnership, the entrepreneur declared before a commission of inquiry of the BMC that it was a “typographical error by inadvertently,” according to the statement.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Kirit Somaiya had alleged irregularities in the establishment of COVID-19 centers by the country’s wealthiest civic body, which is currently under the leadership of an administrator while in office. five years of its elected representatives ended early last year and new polls are due.

The former Lok Sabha MP had also lodged a complaint at Azad Maidan Police Station in South Mumbai based on which an FIR (First Information Report) was filed against Lifeline Hospital Management Services Company and certain individuals for allegedly submitting false documents to obtain contracts for COVID-19 Care Centers.

Chahal had on January 16 filed his statement with the Law Enforcement Directorate regarding alleged irregularities in the awarding of contracts for health facilities during the pandemic, and later said that jumbo COVID-19 care centers 19 had been created by order of the government of Maharashtra.

In the statement released on Saturday, it said: “A sum of Rs 33.13 crore is spent on providing manpower to Dahisar and NSCI Jumbo COVID-19 Centers together so the allegation of scam of Rs 100 crore is baseless.” The amount paid by the BMC is only for the salaries of doctors, nurses, technicians and ward boys, and no complaints have been received about the non-receipt of salaries, he said.

“In accordance with directives from the central government and state governments, BMC has taken elaborate measures to contain the spread of the pandemic and save the lives of thousands of people from COVID-19 infection from 2020 to 2022. In the As part of it, as per the instructions of the state government, the BMC had to provide manpower to operate and manage various giant COVID-19 centers set up by various other government agencies,” says the press release.

In this regard, allegations are being made of Rs 100 crore scam in the contract awarded by the BMC for the supply of labor for the COVID-19 centres. “However, the allegations are not correct and are completely baseless,” Chahal said.

As directed by the state government, jumbo COVID-19 centers have been set up by various government agencies in Dahisar, NESCO in Goregaon, Bandra Kurla Complex Ground, Mulund and the National Sports Complex of India (NSCI) in Worli .

The BMC has awarded contracts to various agencies to provide manpower like doctors, nurses, technicians, ward boys for all these centers, according to the statement.

“The COVID-19 centers have been set up by the various other government agencies and the BMC has not spent any money on them. The operational portion of these giant COVID-19 facilities has been contracted by the state government to BMC and as a result, the civic body has appointed labor through contract agencies,” said he declared.

On the allegations and complaints regarding Lifeline Hospital Management Services, the BMC administration had appointed a Board of Inquiry consisting of a Joint City Commissioner and an Assistant City Commissioner.

From the MoU submitted by the said agency, it appears that this partnership company was formed on June 26, 2020. While the stamp paper used by them stated that the contract was purchased on March 20, 2020. However , on the last page of this act of partnership, the date is November 20, 2010, the statement said.

A Board of Inquiry appointed by the BMC summoned the contractor for questioning and to explain the facts against the allegation. The entrepreneur told the committee that the stamps were purchased on March 20, 2020 and that the date listed as November 20, 2010 was an “inadvertent typographical error”, he said.

The Committee issued its Inquiry Report after duly considering the available supporting evidence presented in the course of the Inquiry process, as well as the legal opinions obtained on the matters required and the explanations provided by the Contractor.

Therefore, this report does not reflect a personal opinion and therefore the committee cannot be said to have attempted to rescue the contractor, Chahal said.

The BMC itself had appointed a commission of inquiry after learning of the allegations against the said agency. After completing the procedure under the jurisdiction of the municipal administration, the company had written to Azad Maidan police twice on August 11 and 22 last year, it said in the statement.

The city administration had itself informed the police to check whether the documents presented by the agency were false or bogus and an FIR had to be filed in this regard.

“It is on the basis of these letters from the BMC that the police registered the FIR in the case on August 24. Therefore, it goes without saying that the BMC initiated all the administrative procedures by taking cognizance of the complaints received, the release told me.

It should also be noted at this point that the matter of verifying whether the deed of company, stamp paper is forged or not, is the responsibility of the Registration Department and the Controller of Stamps and is not within the purview of BMC . Therefore, it is completely wrong to accuse the city administration in this regard, Chahal said.

The BMC administration will cooperate fully with the investigation process conducted by the police and other agencies in connection with these complaints and all necessary documents and evidence will be provided, he said.

Lifeline Hospital Management Services has been commissioned by the BMC to provide doctors, nurses, technicians, ward boys and no complaints have been received from said staff regarding the granting of salaries. “It means that the city administration has done its job properly,” Chahal said.

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