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Mumbai: ‘BMC Lost Over 200 Crores in Car Parking Contracts’, Alleges RTI Activist, Demands Inquiry

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Mumbai: 'BMC Lost Over 200 Crores in Car Parking Contracts', Alleges RTI Activist, Demands Inquiry

Mumbai: The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has started awarding Elevated Multilevel Electromechanical Car Parking System (Shuttle and Robo Parker System) at various locations in Mumbai, including Mumbadevi, Matunga, Fort and Worli.

RTI activist Anil Galgali has demanded an inquiry, complaining that the Mumbai Corporation has suffered a huge loss of more than Rs.200 Crores in the Car Parking contracts. In Delhi, the cost of Car Parking per Vehicle is in the range of approx. Rs. 7 lakhs to 17 lakhs and whereas the cost of Car Parking per Vehicle in Mumbai is in the range of approx. Rs.22 lakhs to 40 lakhs. The Original Equipment Manufacturing (OEM) partner is M/s Sotefin Parking Private Limited in all the bid tenders so far awarded by the Municipal Corporation.

Activist Demands Cancellation of Controversial Contracts

Galgali in a letter sent to Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and BMC Commissioner Bhushan Gagrani has sought inquiry about the car parking contracts work awarded worth Rs. 513.41 Crores and demanded immediate cancellation of all the controversial contracts awarded recently.

In the complaint, Galgali has stated that the OEM partner among all the tenderers is common i.e. M/s Sotefin Parking Private Limited. The Car Parking contracts awarded worth Rs. 513.41 Crores is more than the work done by M/s. Sotefin Parking Pvt. Ltd. at the same location. The only OEM partner who has entered into an MOA with more than one tenderer is M/s Sotefin Parking Pvt. Ltd. which creates serious doubts on the BMC tendering process.

Sotefin Parking Pvt. Ltd. Charged Different Rates For Delhi & Mumbai

The OEM partner M/s. Sotefin Parking Pvt. Ltd. has executed 264 Car Parking System for CPWD at Central Vista Project, New Delhi at a total project cost of Rs. 44.71 Crores for which cost works out to Rs.16.94 lakhs per Car Parking. The same OEM also executed another work for CPWD for 300 Car Parking System at GPRA, New Delhi at a total project cost of Rs. 21.18 Crores for which cost works out to Rs. 7.06 lakhs per Car Parking. The BMC has awarded a contract to SMS Infrastructure Ltd. with the same OEM to execute 546 Car Parking System near Mumbadevi Temple in Mumbai at the project cost of Rs. 122.60 Crores for which cost works out to Rs.22.45 Lakh per Car Parking, Galgali said.

Galgali added that at present, the works awarded and/or assigned by the BMC include Matunga, Flora Fountain and Worli. The BMC has recently awarded a contract to Vishal Construction with the same OEM to execute 176 Car Parking System near Apsara Pen Flora Fountain, Fort in Mumbai at the project cost of Rs.70 Crores for which cost works out to a whopping sum of Rs.39.90 Lakh per Car Parking. Similarly, the BMC Engineering Hub Building, Worli, Mumbai Car Parking contract was awarded to Shree Enterprises with the same OEM to execute 640 Car Parking System at the project cost of Rs. 216.94 Crores for which cost works out to Rs.33.90 Lakh per Car Parking.

Likewise, Matunga near Central Railway the contract was awarded to Relcon Infraprojects Ltd. with the same OEM to execute 475 Car Parking System at the project cost of Rs.103.87 Crores for which cost works out to Rs.21.87 Lakh per Car Parking. Moreover, the MMRDA too has awarded a similar contract to Shree Enterprises with the same OEM to execute 669 Car Parking System at Malavani, Malad, Mumbai at the project cost of Rs.150 Crores for which cost works out to Rs.22.42 Lakh per Car Parking.    

Cost Evaluation Of Bids Not Done Properly

Galgali alleged that it seems the cost evaluation of the bids was not done properly by the Municipal Corporation/ MMRDA as no analysis of rates was done nor did the Department take other similar projects being implemented across India as a reference point for cost evaluation. It will be surprising and shocking to note that the same bidders who have been awarded the above works are doing the same/similar works in other Government Departments like CPWD, NHIDCL, Railways, Municipal Corporation of Delhi, and MMRDA at lower rate but they have paid 200% to 300% more by the BMC for the same/similar work to be done here in Mumbai. These issues can be clarified when the BMC requests the MMRDA as well as some Central Government agencies to share their bid documents and cost estimates to find out the correct picture. 

Hundreds of such automatic mechanized car parking systems have been built or executed in Srinagar, Jammu, cities in Kerala, Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Itanagar, Guwahati, Pune, etc. at a much lower cost than the bid amount given by the BMC. One should look for data, drawings, financial terms and conditions, operation and maintenance contracts etc. from these agencies to know the truth. A proper inquiry into the matter is warranted to verify the justification of such inflated rates, terms and conditions. One can also consult IIT Delhi professors who have been on several committees to evaluate such mechanical automated car parking for the last 15 years, he said.

There are many old and reputed companies like CCCL (Chennai), Wipro-Pari (Pune), Heman (Kerala), SimPark (Kolkata) which have built and/or executed more than thousand fully automated parking systems at individual locations in various cities. How many wrongdoings are attempted in such tenders only when private companies, list of projects with car parking capacity, contract value of such projects, O&M rate etc. can be sought from above government and private entities using the same Robo Shuttle System at a much lower rate than that proposed by the BMC said Galgali.

Maharashtra

Vande Mataram is a must, some people are self-proclaimed patriots, Uddhav Thackeray

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Mumbai: Before the local body and BMC elections in Mumbai Maharashtra and in the context of vote theft, Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray once again took a dig at the Election Commission while addressing a press conference and said that the Election Commission has tried to show that every house has 40 to 50 voters registered, therefore, it is necessary to verify the Election Commission list and to check the Election Commission list, centers will now be set up in Shiv Sena branches for correcting the Election Commission list. Uddhav Thackeray said that the youth who have completed the age of 18 should get their names registered with the Election Commission. He said that an investigation should be conducted in every house to see if anyone’s name is listed in the Election Commission list without permission. Uddhav Thackeray called the Election Commission list itself suspect and said that there has been rigging and irregularities in the voter list, therefore the opposition is protesting against the issue of vote theft. Uddhav Thackeray made Vande Mataram mandatory. Criticizing the BJP for declaring it as a state, he said that people are being misled to divert their minds from the issues and such issues are being brought up. These people are actually self-proclaimed patriots and we need to be careful with them. He said that people should remain vigilant and try to correct the errors in the voter list.

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Maharashtra Shortlists Seven Senior IPS Officers for Next DGP Post

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By Kamar Ansari | Mumbai Press News

Mumbai: Maharashtra is set for a major leadership change in its police force, as the tenure of the current Director General of Police, Rashmi Shukla, ends on December 31. In preparation for the transition, the state Home Department has shortlisted seven senior IPS officers and sent the names to the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) for approval. The UPSC will select three names from the list, after which the state government will appoint one of them as the next DGP.

According to officials familiar with the development, the shortlisted names include officers from various key security and policing verticals in the state.

The officers shortlisted are:
Sadanand Date, Director General of the National Investigation Agency;
Sanjay Verma, DGP Legal and Technical;
Ritesh Kumar, Commandant General of Home Guards;
Sanjeev Kumar Singhal, DGP Anti-Corruption Bureau;
Archana Tyagi, Director General of the State Police Housing and Welfare Corporation;
Sanjeev Kumar, Director of Civil Defence;
Prashant Burde, DG Government Railway Police.

Among them, Sadanand Date is considered the senior-most officer and a strong contender for the role. He is due to retire in December 2026, making him eligible for a full two-year term if appointed. Date is highly respected for his service record, including his heroic actions during the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks where he confronted terrorists with limited resources and prevented heavy civilian casualties.

However, his appointment depends on the central government’s approval since he is currently serving as the chief of NIA. Sources indicate that the state government has not yet formally requested his release from the central posting, which may become a factor in the final decision.

The appointment process will move forward once the UPSC finalizes three names for the government to choose from. The state is expected to announce the next DGP before Rashmi Shukla’s retirement to ensure seamless policing leadership.

Rashmi Shukla, who has led the Maharashtra Police during an eventful tenure, will retire on December 31, bringing an end to a long and distinguished service career.

Mumbai Press News Kamar Ansari will continue to follow the developments closely and bring timely updates on the selection of Maharashtra’s next top police officer.

By Kamar Ansari
Mumbai Press News

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Maharashtra

Ameer Sunni Dawat-e-Islami Maulana Mohammad. Shakir Noori is once again included in the list of the 500 most influential Muslims of the year 2026.

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Mumbai: November 1 – Maulana Muhammad Shakir Noori, Ameer of Sunni Dawat-e-Islami, who has played a prominent role in the fields of education, social and welfare services, and religious and religious leadership, and under whose management the annual gathering held at Azad Maidan, Mumbai, is one of the largest Sunni gatherings in the world, has been included in the list of 500 most influential Muslims in the world. This list consists of those personalities who are playing a prominent role in the Muslim world with a spirit of positive change, leadership, influence and service. This list is compiled under the Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Center, Oman (Jordan) and is published every year in collaboration with the Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding, Georgetown University (USA). In a statement issued on Friday, Sunni Dawat-e-Islami said that Maulana Noori’s tireless efforts in promoting educational and social services and welfare works have earned him this honor at the global level.

The statement said that Maulana Shakir Noori, who leads one of India’s largest Sunni organizations, has impacted thousands of lives through education, women’s empowerment, youth guidance and anti-drug campaigns. This award is not only a recognition of Maulana Noori’s services but also reflects the positive and constructive identity of Indian Muslims at the global level. Sunni Dawat-e-Islami is a non-political religious organization headquartered in Mumbai. Every year around December, this organization organizes a three-day grand gathering that includes religious speeches, speeches on contemporary issues, and educational guidance for students.

About three hundred thousand people participate in this gathering annually. About 50 educational institutions are established under the organization, in which more than 7,000 students are studying. Maulana Noori has authored more than 40 books that have been published in different languages. He has started several welfare projects, including empowering Muslim youth and women through education, providing food and clothing to the poor, guiding the weaker sections, reforming the youth, and campaigns against drugs and intoxicants. On this joyful occasion, congratulations are being offered by scholars, preachers, and concerned people, and Hazrat Ameer Sunni Dawat-e-Islami is praying for his health and long life.

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