Mumbai: Govt bodies buying fireballs at three times the market rate

Auto Fire Off (AFO) Fireballs are available in the market for Rs 2000 wheresas govt bodies have procured it at thrice the market price; (right) Moti Ludhwani, social worker and RTI activist who has exposed the procurement of AFO fireballs by govt bodies at inflated costs. Pics/Navneet Barhate

Fire safety tools have now allegedly joined the list of government procurement at inflated costs. Auto Fire Off (AFO) fire extinguishing balls known as AFO fireballs have been procured by civic bodies and state government at prices ranging from Rs 6,000 to Rs 7,000, whereas the same are available in the market for Rs 2,000 including GST. The AFO fire ball is a one-time use device that is flung into the flames to extinguish fires.

Moti Ludhwani, a resident of Ulhasnagar and a social worker as well as an RTI activist, discovered these alarming discrepancies through the Right to Information (RTI). The product purchased by all government departments, is the AFO fireball , manufactured by ATOZ Greens Innovation Pvt. Ltd.

Ludhwani said, "On October 10, I bought a fireball for Rs 2,006 each with 18 per cent GST included. However, Ulhasnagar Municipal Corporation (UMC) procured these fireballs for R6,932 each, inclusive of GST. It's not just UMC, but BMC, Mumbai police, Vidhan Bhavan, MBMC and other authorities who have also procured these AFO fireballs at triple the market price. This is undeniably corruption."

Ulhasnagar Fire Brigade, a department of UMC, spent Rs 9.91 lakh to procure 143 AFO fireballs from a vendor at this exorbitant price. Similarly, in 2021, BMC also procured the same product for Rs 7,400 plus per unit. Vidhan Bhavan, in the same year, acquired 40 fireballs at Rs 7,000 each. MBMC acquired AFO fireballs in 2021 at Rs 7,250 per unit for its fire brigade. MBMC procured 1,417 units, resulting in an expenditure of Rs 1.12 crore.

Moti Ludhwani said, "This corruption must be addressed immediately, as it concerns safety equipment. I have lodged complaints with the Prime Minister and the state government, urging them to conduct an inquiry into this matter and eliminate this corruption. Additionally, I have reported this issue to Ulhasnagar Municipal Commissioner Aziz Shaikh and the Anti-Corruption Bureau."

Speaking with midday, Ulhasnagar Municipal Fire Brigade Chief Balu Netke, said, "There is no corruption in this matter. The product is available on the government portal and we purchased it for Rs 300 less than the listed price on the government portal. Furthermore, our purchase comes with a five-year insurance policy for the product and several other benefits. If any corruption is found, I pledge not to take my pension and gratuity. As fire officers, we are dedicated to preserving the lives of our citizens."