Mumbai police commissioner-led SIT to probe 'irregularities' in BMC works

MUMBAI: Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has given approval for 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 late Monday night.

The statement said 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 (from 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.

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 undertook several works during November 2019-June 2022, a period which also covered the COVID-19 pandemic.

Bharatiya Janata Party (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, demanded an SIT probe into "irregularities" flagged by the CAG report.