BJP MLC alleges Rs 1,200-1,300 crore graft in Mithi desilting; links scam to Thackeray’s tenure

Mumbai: BJP MLC Prasad Lad on Friday alleged Rs 1,200-Rs 1,300 crore corruption over the desilting of the Mithi river, claiming irregularities in contracts awarded during the tenure of Uddhav Thackeray as the chief minister.

In a veiled attack on Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray, the member of the legislative council (MLC) said, “A ‘prince’ appears to have been involved, but I will not take names without solid evidence.” “As per my information, 16 people have been named in an FIR in connection with the corruption in Mithi river desilting. Over the past two years, corruption of Rs 65 crore is suspected. But if you stretch the scope of the probe to last 15 years, it would be Rs 1,200 crore to Rs 1,300 crore,” he claimed.

The Economic Offences Wing of the Mumbai police has registered a case over alleged irregularities of Rs 65 crore in the desilting of Mithi.

Lad said the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has claimed that it spent Rs 250 crore to remove 1.5 to 2 lakh tonnes of silt in recent years.

“Over 15 years, the figure would be nearly 30 lakh tonnes. With that much silt, you could create an area the size of Navi Mumbai. So, where was the silt actually dumped,” he asked.

The BJP leader alleged that the site shown by officials as the dumping ground is now occupied by skyscrappers. This suggests the site was falsely identified in official reports, he claimed.

“There is no proof of royalty payment for dumping silt at government sites. According to the law, the truck numbers should be listed, but the vehicle (registration) numbers in records are actually of two-wheelers and auto rickshaws. Even the weights of the vehicles have not been recorded. Builders, too, are not paying proper royalty for transporting debris,” he said.

He also criticised the BMC’s use of “biomining” to clean Mithi.

“Microorganisms were reportedly used to clean the river, but there is no data on how much was cleaned, who did the work, or how it was planned,” he said.

The MLC alleged inflated billing under the guise of foreign technology.

“Every time, a new technology from Germany, Italy, France or Spain is shown in the name of river cleaning. If it costs Rs 100, it is rented for Rs 2,000. Middlemen benefit from these deals,” he said.

Lad claimed that several contractors have got work despite past concerns. “These companies rose during 2019-2022, when Uddhav Thackeray was chief minister (between 2019 and 2022),” he said.

The BJP leader said he recently met Mumbai Police Commissioner Deven Bharti and submitted "relevant information".

“The Mithi river flows from Kurla to Mahim, but also reaches someone’s house in Bandra. Who lives there,” he asked, hinting at Thackeray, whose house ‘Matoshree’ in Bandra East is close to the river.

Referring to the questioning of actor Dino Morea by the EOW in connection with the case, he asked, “What are his connections to this matter?” “Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had sanctioned Rs 1,400 crore for a retaining wall to protect residents from the floods of Mithi. Where is that wall now? It is missing,” asked the BJP leader.

Lad said, according to his information, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) is taking up the case. He also said, “If anyone from the BJP is involved in this corruption, they must be prosecuted.” He said a Special Investigation Team (SIT) was set up by the current Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. Five government officials have been named in the 13 complaints filed so far in connection with Mithi desilting, he said.

Many firms that were in the catering or hospitality industry before 2019 suddenly became BMC contractors, Lad said. He also questioned why big names were overlooked. “Why were reputed companies like L&T, Ramky Infrastructure Limited or Antony Waste Handling not selected? Instead, these little-known firms got the contracts,” he said.

He further claimed mismanagement of BMC’s rat-killing exercise. “One lakh mice were killed by the BMC. At Rs 100 per mouse, how much corruption does that suggest,” he asked.