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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

Waqf Act is a discriminatory law, an attack on democracy… Along with the fight in court, democratic protests will also continue until the law is withdrawn: All India Muslim Personal Labor Board

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Mumbai: The Mumbai Waqf Act is unfair to minorities and has many flaws. The Waqf Act has been introduced on the basis of bias to deprive Muslims of their rights and it is a law that destroys democracy. Protests against this law will continue until it is withdrawn. The problem of law and order has also arisen due to this law. Under this law, the powers of the state governments have also been taken away. These are the views expressed here today by Jamaat-e-Islami chief Saadatullah Hussaini. He said that the Waqf Act is unfair to Muslims and it is unacceptable.

All India Muslim Personal Law Board spokesperson Qasim Rasool Ilyas said that the law implemented in the Waqf Act was objected to in the JPC. Now this matter is under hearing in the Supreme Court. The court has definitely given temporary relief, but until it is returned, we will continue our legal and democratic fight on it. This is a biased law. There is a separate law for other religions and the Constitution allows us to have religious institutions and worship according to our customs and traditions. An attempt has been made in this act to deprive us of this right. The application of the Waqf Act under the guise of the poor and other backward classes is a fraud and deception. The suspicions that the government has created regarding Waqf are based on complete lies. If the government wants to work to provide rights to the poor and other classes through the Waqf Act, why was the Waqf Development Corporation taken away? Under the guise of the Waqf Act, the government has attacked Indian democracy and the constitution of Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar and hooliganism is being done. It is being said that this law will have to be accepted. This law will not only affect Muslims but is an attack on the spirit of the constitution. If the Prime Minister is so sympathetic to the poor widows, why did he not give justice to Bilqis Bano? In the Gujarat riots, Ehsan Jafri’s widow Zakia Jafri, a victim seeking justice, reached the grave. What atrocities were committed on Muslims in Gujarat in 11 years, everyone knows that this government does not want to nurture Muslims, but wants to destroy them. The opposition has strongly opposed this bill, but despite this, it was passed. The Waqf Act was passed unanimously in 2013. What was the need to bring this law at that time? When this law was passed, the BJP was also in favor of it. There was no opposition to it. They said that this law is a clear violation of Articles 24, 25, 11, which protect our rights.

Muslim Personal Law Board General Secretary Fazlur Rehman Mujaddidi said that now under the Waqf Act, the waqf will have to prove that he is a Muslim. In this, the JPC has made it a condition to be a practicing Muslim. This is against the law. Earlier it was said that being a Muslim for five years is a condition, but now it will have to be proven that you are a Muslim and practice Islam. Along with this, in case of a dispute, this land will be declared as government land. Misconceptions have been created regarding the Waqf Act and Waqf and these misconceptions have been fueled in social media. It was also spread in the media that the ownership of the waqf is so high and in the Allahabad High Court case, it was said that now the High Court has to go to the Supreme Court for justice in the matter of waqf. This is completely wrong. This was a dispute over a mosque on the road outside the High Court, which Kazmi Sahib had built for worshippers, thus spreading suspicions.

Munsa Bushra Abidi said that Muslim women will be at the forefront of any protest announced by the Muslim Personal Law Board. The government cannot give lollipops to Muslim women because they know the government’s intentions and the drugs. She said that women are involved in all kinds of protests, from bati gul to salaam, and we will continue to protest against this law. Maulana Mahmood Daryabadi, Peace Committee Head Farid Sheikh, and representatives of other religions also participated in this press conference:

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Maharashtra

Mumbai human trafficking racket busted, West Bengal and Hyderabad arrested

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Mumbai: Mumbai Wadala TT Police has claimed to have arrested child human traffickers from Hyderabad, West Bengal in a human trafficking case. According to the details, the complainant Amar Dhirne, 65, a sweeper from Wadala TT Police Station, had filed a missing complaint of his grandson on August 5, 2024. After that, it was found that Anil Purnia, Asma Sheikh, Sharif Sheikh, Asha Pawar had sold the child for Rs 1.60 lakh. After that, a case of human trafficking was registered against the accused Anil Purnia, Asma Sheikh, Sharif Sheikh. The accused Anil Purnia, Asma Sheikh were deported from Mumbai. The accused Asha Pawar was also involved in this. After that, the police started searching for Asha Pawar and arrested her from Hyderabad.

During the police investigation, the accused said that the victim was taken to Bhubaneswar station, Odisha. A woman named Reshma sold it. After technical investigation, it was found that the accused is employed in a dental hospital in Bhubaneswar and works in a high-tech hospital here. But when the police team reached Bhubaneswar, she had quit her job and then it was found that the wanted accused is in West Bengal. After that, the police started searching for her and the police recovered the kidnapped child and three other children. At the same time, Reshma Santosh Kumar Banerjee, 43, was arrested and presented in court. Along with this, the three-year-old child was presented in court and the child was handed over to the police. After completing all the steps, the police got the child medically examined and found signs of injuries on his body. The accused had tortured the child, so a case of cruelty was also registered against the child. This action was taken on the instructions of Mumbai Police Commissioner Vivek Pansalkar and Special Commissioner Devin Bharti, Additional Commissioner Anil Paraskar and DCP Ragasudha.

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Maharashtra

Mira Bhayander: Drugs worth Rs 32 crore seized Two Nigerians including an Indian woman arrested, used to sell drugs by creating groups on social media

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Mumbai: Mira Bhayander police have claimed to have arrested two foreign drug peddlers including an Indian woman. The Mira Bhayander Crime Branch had received information that Shabina Sheikh’s house in Kashi Mira had a stash of drugs and that she was also involved in drug trafficking. The police raided it and recovered 11 kg 830 grams of cocaine. A case has been registered against her in the Nowghar police under the NDPS. The arrested accused told the police during interrogation that she used to buy these drugs from a foreign national named Ende and lives in Inder Mira Road. She was also arrested and drugs were seized from her possession and a Nigerian note of 1000 was recovered and 14 notes of 100 US dollars were also found in this case.

After investigation, two Nigerians and an Indian woman were arrested. Drugs worth Rs 23 million have been seized from their possession, in addition to 14 US dollar notes, four mobile phones, and drugs worth Rs 223 million have also been claimed to have been seized. This operation was carried out by a team of the Crime Branch including Mira Bhayandar Police Commissioner Madhu Karpande, Additional Commissioner Dattatreya Shinde, Avinash Ambore. The Crime Branch said that this cocaine was brought here by Nigerians hiding it in their stomachs. This cocaine is manufactured in South America. This cocaine is brought by plane by hiding it in human bodies. First, it is delivered to the Mumbai airport and then sold in various areas through the roads in Mumbai. The accused sell drugs by creating several groups on social media.

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