Shiv Sena (UBT) to hold morcha against irregularities in Mumbai civic body on July 1: Uddhav Thackeray

Uddhav Thackeray during a press conference on Tuesday. Pic/Ashish Raje

The Shiv Sena (UBT) will organise a morcha outside the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) against "irregularities" in its functioning on July 1, former state chief minister Uddhav Thackeray said on Tuesday, reported the PTI.

Addressing a press conference, Uddhav Thackeray, who heads the Shiv Sena (UBT) faction, said that the Shiv Sena-BJP government in the state lacks the courage to face polls. He said money is splurged in the name of events like G20 and road concretization, according to the PTI.

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He said when Shiv Sena took charge of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) in 1997, the civic body's revenue was in deficit, but in 25 years, its fixed deposits rose to Rs 92,000 crore, as per the PTI.

Uddhav Thackeray alleged that around Rs 7,000-9,000 crore have been spent from these FDs.

Someone has to question BMC because this is people's money. The Shiv Sena (UBT) will take out a morcha against irregularities in the BMC, he said, adding Sena leaders including his son Aaditya Thackeray will lead the morcha.

Notably, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has approved setting up a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe "irregularities" worth Rs 12,024 crore in various works of the Mumbai civic body flagged by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG).

The SIT will be headed by the Mumbai police commissioner, said a statement issued by the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) on Monday night.

The official statement said the CM Shinde has given approval to set up the SIT that will probe Rs 12,024-crore irregularities in various works previously undertaken by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) when the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government was in power (November 2019 to June 2022) in the state.

India's richest civic body is currently under an administrator and the term of its corporators ended early last year.

CM Shinde has also given directives to include top officials of the Mumbai police's economic offences wing and other senior police officials in the probe, said the release.

The municipal corporation had undertaken several works during November 2019-June 2022, a period that also covered the Covid-19 pandemic.

BJP MLA from Mumbai Amit Satam had written a letter to Shinde claiming irregularities in various Covid-19-related works after the CAG submitted its audit report.
Satam, in his letter, had demanded an SIT probe into "irregularities" flagged by the CAG report.

(with PTI inputs)