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Bombay High Court Orders BMC To Complete RSIIL Contract Termination Hearing By January 31

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The Bombay High Court on Wednesday directed the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) commissioner to appoint a senior officer to give a hearing to Roadway Solutions India Infra Limited (RSIIL), whose contract for concretising South Mumbai roads was terminated last November.

The court directs to complete the hearing by January 31

A division bench of Justices Gautam Patel and Kamal Khata also directed to complete the hearing and decide on the matter by January 31, and meanwhile continued the stay on the firm’s termination. The court has asked the senior civic officer to hear the reply filed by RSIIL on the termination notice issued to it and also on the show cause notice as to why a nearly ₹52 crore penalty cannot be imposed on it for not complying with the contract terms. 

The bench noted that although the corporation, while issuing notice, had called for a hearing, however, no such hearing was given. The same is “unacceptable”, the bench said.

The court granted an interim stay on the BMC’s operations 

The HC, while hearing RSIIL’s plea challenging the termination notice, had granted an interim stay on its operation and proceeded further with the BMC’s fresh tender issued on December 4, 2023, observing that there was “no emergency” in the concretisation work. 

BMC counsel Ranjit Thorat informed the HC that the corporation had cancelled the said tender. 

BMC issued a fresh tender 

The BMC had issued the tender for ₹1033.11 crore for concretisation of 297 roads in the city. The work was to be completed in 24 months, minus the monsoon season. The civic body has awarded contracts for the concretisation of 397 roads to five firms totalling over Rs 6000 crore.

The contract was awarded to RSIIL on January 4, 2023, but the same was terminated on November 9, stating that the contractor has not commenced the work even after 8-10 months of awarding the contract. RSIIL had challenged this before the HC, which, on November 30, restrained the BMC from taking any coercive action against the firm. 

The judges took note of the fact that on November 2, the BMC had conceded to RSIIL’s request to hear its reply on the termination notice and had asked the contractor to attend the hearing the next day. The firm’s director could not attend as he was busy before the GST authority and sought adjournment to November 8 or 9. However, the same was rejected and the termination notice was issued on November 9. The termination notice proposed certain consequences, including forfeiture of contract deposit of over ₹30 crore and other costs, taking the total penalty to the tune of nearly ₹52 crore. The HC has disposed of RSIIL’s plea.

Maharashtra

ED took action on 15 places including Mithi river, cleanliness, irregularities, Dino Morea

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Dino Morea ED

Mumbai: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has raided 15 places including Mumbai in the irregularities case in the cleaning of the Mithi river. The Enforcement Directorate has also claimed to have seized many important documents related to the case while conducting raids in Mumbai and Kochi. The ED has also raided the house of film actor Dino Maurya. The EOW has registered the first FIR in this case, after which the Enforcement Directorate has now started a parallel investigation. The ED has taken this action under the PMLA Money Laundering Act. Dino Maurya has also been involved in this irregularity. The EOW has also questioned him and his brother.

It is said that Dino Maurya and Ketan are close to Shiv Sena leader Aditya Thackeray. Now Dino’s troubles have increased. The EOW has found many important documents and evidence in the Mithi river corruption and irregularities case in Mumbai, so now the ED has also started its action in the case of misuse of funding and illegal tender purchase in this case. Many Shiv Sena leaders are also in the ambit of ED action, because during the Mithi river corruption scam, Shiv Sena was ruling the BMC, so the scope of investigation has become focused on Shiv Sena leaders. EOW has also made significant progress in its action in the Mithi river corruption case in Mumbai. More revelations are expected after the arrival of ED in this case. EOW has taken action against 13 people in this case so far and has also arrested them. In this, political leaders including BMC officials are also on the radar of ED.

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Maharashtra

Mumbai: MLA and SP leader Abu Asim Azmi appeals to avoid sacrificing animals in the open on Eid-ul-Azha

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Mumbai: Mumbai Maharashtra Samajwadi Party leader and MLA Abu Asim Azmi has appealed to Muslims not to perform Qurbani in the open and also follow BMC and government guidelines. Cleanliness is half of faith, so take special care of cleanliness. Not only this, it is mandatory to follow all the guidelines and guiding principles set regarding Qurbani. Take special care of cleanliness and ensure that the brothers and sisters of the country do not face any kind of trouble on Eid-ul-Azha. This is the real teaching of Islam. Celebrate Eid with mutual love, brotherhood and following Sunnat Ibrahimi. Azmi said that the waste of Qurbani on Eid should also be kept in bags and thrown in the dustbin.

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Maharashtra

Mumbai Congress delegation meets Municipal Commissioner, expresses grave concern over poor condition of city

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Mumbai: Today, a high-level Congress delegation led by Mumbai Congress President and MP Prof. Varsha Tai Gaikwad met BMC Commissioner Bhushan Gagrani. The delegation included MLA Aslam Shaikh, MLA Amin Patel, MLA Dr. Jyoti Tai Gaikwad, former corporator Haji Babbu Khan and other former corporators of Mumbai Congress.

Several important issues were raised in the meeting on administrative collapse, corruption and deterioration of public amenities in Mumbai.

‎🛑 Highlights of the meeting:

‎🔸 Increase in property tax without public approval
Violating the directions of the Supreme Court, the BMC increased property tax in the absence of elected representatives. The Congress strongly opposed this unconstitutional move and called it a financial burden on the people of Mumbai.

‎Scams in road construction
‎There is a possibility of massive corruption in the concreting of roads. Only 25% of the work has been completed so far and that too has been hampered by poor quality, damage to pipelines and serious irregularities in tendering – particularly in the inorganic phosphate based geo-polymer concrete tender.

‎🔸 Drain cleaning scam

Drain cleaning before the monsoon has become a sham. All the work has been handed over to contractors, no monitoring, no accountability. The Congress has demanded immediate and strict action.

‎🔸 Medical facilities in ICUs

BMC hospitals – like Baba, Rajawadi, Shatabdi and Bhagwati – are in a shambles. Patients are being forcibly sent to private hospitals, while privatisation of hospitals and delay in development work have worsened the problems.

‎🔸 Waste management
‎The sanitation system is already failing and now the BMC is considering imposing a “garbage tax”. In areas like Kurla and Borivali, the sewer line work has been incomplete for years.

‎🔸 Failure of the education system:

BMC school children have not yet been given books and uniforms. The commissioner has given a deadline of June 15. If this work is not completed, the Congress will again come out with questions on June 16.

‎🔸 Delay in housing schemes and PAP projects:

Housing schemes, PAP and redevelopment projects in areas like Andheri, Vakola, Khar have been victims of builder fraud, misuse of TDR and government negligence.

‎🔸 Other important issues

Corruption in central procurement process

Delay in approving hawking policy

Acute lack of facilities in Muslim graveyards

🗣️ Congress demands:

✅ ACB should investigate contractor mafia in BMC

✅ Independent audit of drain cleaning and road construction works

✅ Independent monitoring body should be formed for BMC tenders

Mumbai cannot be left at the mercy of a neglected and corrupt system. Congress will continue to fight at every level by becoming the voice of the people of Mumbai!

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