01 December,2020 07:07 AM IST | Mumbai | Sanjeev Shivadekar
Yashwant Jadhav
The chairman of the civic body's standing committee and Shiv Sena leader Yashwant Jadhav has been caught on tape asking a contracting firm to withdraw from civic projects in E-ward (Byculla) that it bagged through an online tender process. mid-day has a recording of the phone conversation where Jadhav is purportedly telling a representative of Yash Corporation to give up projects in his ward no. 209 in Byculla. Jadhav's wife, Yamini Jadhav is a Shiv Sena MLA from Byculla constituency.
While Yashwant Jadhav is a corporator from Byculla, his wife is an MLA from the area. Representation pic
In the audio clip, which is a phone call recorded by a Yash Corporation representative, Jadhav is heard saying, "Mera message mila ki nahin? Aapko system malum hai ki nahin? Kyon mere idhar kaam kar rahe ho? Aap withdraw kar lo. (Did you get my message? Are you aware of the system? Why are you working in my area? You withdraw the work)" Interestingly, one of the three people authorised by Yash Corporation for the various civic works is Vaibhav Gangan, an active member of Sena in the western suburbs.
Yamini Jadhav, Shiv Sena MLA. PIC/TWITTER
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Yash Corporation was selected through the e-tendering process for a slew of unstar quotation work worth Rs 2.17 crore in E ward. When the firm refused to withdraw from the work, Jadhav allegedly said during the call, "Apko yahaan kaam karna hai ki nahin? (do you want to continue working here [read BMC] or not?)"
Vaibhav Gangan, one of the people authorised by Yash Corporation to execute projects, is an active Shiv Sena member
Further, when the contractor expressed his inability to accept Jadhav's request of withdrawing work, the standing committee chairman allegedly said, "Main samajta hoon... tum nahin sun rahe ho. Nahin samajh rahe ho. Tumhara aadmi ward mein kab ayega, ya tum kabh aaoge, main milta hoon. Ya, tum kahan rehte ho, wahan main aata hoon. (When will you or your representative come to the ward, I will meet you there. Or let me know where you stay, I will come there and explain to you)."
Civic workers create social distancing markers in Byculla amid COVID-19. File pic
Recording is our evidence
Speaking to mid-day, Surajpratapsingh Deora, a representative of Yash Corporation, said that the conversation with Jadhav was recorded for safety purposes. "Our firm assured Jadhav that hereafter, we will not bid in the E ward and requested to execute the current work we have bagged. But, the standing committee chairman was firm. Left with no choice, we recorded the conversation for our safety so that tomorrow if anything goes wrong, we have evidence to substantiate our claims." Yash Corporation is headed by Ramesh Solanki, who is currently recuperating from COVID-19. Deora, along with two other people, has been authorised by the firm to manage their work.
Deora added, "Ideally, after the opening of bids, within three days, civic authorities need to issue a chalan for the allotted work. But in our case, BMC administration is yet to complete the post-bidding process. The process is stuck due to political pressure. We should not be held responsible for delays in work as the BMC administration is yet to complete the procedure for our firm to commence the work."
Yash Corporation was the lowest bidder for ward-level emergency work such as the repair of toilets, pathways, drainage, etc. Usually, Vaibhav Enterprises and Rajdeep Enterprises are known players which participate in the bids for such work in the area. For the first time, Yash Corporation participated and got the contract.
A couple of years ago, contractors had complained to the then civic chief Ajoy Mehta about political interference and pressure at the ward level. Mehta had termed it as a serious issue and ordered a probe. Amid no evidence, no action was taken.
Around a decade ago, former chief minister Prithviraj Chavan, too, had talked about the âpolitician-contractor' nexus and suggested certain remedies. With the latest Jadhav-Deora episode, many in the civic corridors feel the âtraditional system' still continues in the corporation.
Also Read: Mumbai: 45-year-old BMC contractor stabbed to death, body found near public toilet in Khar
What Jadhav says
Jadhav told mid-day that the contractor is known for doing inferior quality work in areas where he secured contracts earlier. "The contractor crossed his limit when he offered to work on a percentage sharing basis. How can a contractor dare to speak in such language with the chairman of the standing committee? Irked with the behaviour of the contractor, I decided to emphasise on his withdrawal from the work."
Jadhav added that he will move to blacklist the contractor. "There is a motive and political involvement behind this episode," Jadhav said. He added that as a corporator, he has the right to red flag a contractor with a bad track record. "I have written to the administration to cancel all works awarded to this controversial firm and to enquire into their previous civic work in Mumbai."
Unstar quotation
Unstar quotation is work which ranges from Rs 3 lakh to Rs 25 lakh. Assistant commissioners can spend up to Rs 5 lakh with the ward council's approval and deputy municipal commissioners can spend up to Rs 25 lakh. While corporators in ward councils have a fund of Rs 1 crore each. Work beyond Rs 25 lakh has to be sanctioned by the additional commissioner and that beyond Rs 50 lakh needs the approval of the standing committee.
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