The controversial firm, Highway Construction, has been awarded two contracts worth Rs 120 crore to construct 17 animal enclosures
No lessons learnt The controversial firm, Highway Construction, has been awarded two contracts worth Rs 120 crore to construct 17 animal enclosures
The BMC seems to have enclosed itself into another controversy with the Byculla zoo, this time round for its revamp. The civic body has awarded Rs 120-crore contracts to Highway Construction, a firm infamous for bagging - and subsequently being kicked out of - the Humboldt penguin project over dubious claims.
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The contracts are part of Byculla zoo's long-pending revamp project. File pics
As per the revamp plan, BMC's Building Maintenance (BM) department had floated two tenders of Rs 60 crore each for the construction of 10 and 7 animal enclosures respectively. According to a source from the BM department, Highway Construction was the lowest bidder and is now in the process of finalizing the contract with the civic body.
Also read: BJP leader seeks probe into purchase of penguins for Byculla zoo
As per the revamp plan, BMC's Building Maintenance (BM) department had floated two tenders of Rs 60 crore each for the construction of 10 and 7 animal enclosures respectively
Samajwadi Party corporator and Standing Committee member Rais Shaikh has written a letter (mid-day has a copy) to municipal commissioner Ajoy Mehta, alleging that some BMC officials helped the company bag the contracts, and has demanded to cancel its bids, considering the firm's past record and its alleged irregularities in the Humboldt penguin project.
Forged experience letters
Shaikh told mid-day, "Highway Construction Company has forged the experience letters and Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) it submitted for getting the contract for the penguin enclosure. I raised this issue in the Standing Committee last year and demanded an inquiry and blacklisting of the firm for misleading the civic body. BMC had promised to take appropriate action against the company."
Also read: Penguins at Byculla Zoo finally mate, despite being 'too young'
That action has clearly not been taken. "However, it has now emerged that Highway Construction company won both the contracts for animal exhibits. I have documents to show that the contractors have forged [their] building construction experience. The documents accessed through Right to Information (RTI) reveal another story."
Cancel the tender
According to Shaikh, in 2015, when the company had bid for the construction of the penguin exhibit, it was revealed that they don't have experience constructing buildings, and that they submitted bogus MoUs with a firm called Alpha Construction Company.
Also read - Mumbai: Rs 9 lakh monthly power bill for penguins in Byculla zoo
The MoUs were found to be fraudulent in an inquiry. Now, while bidding for the contracts worth Rs 120 crore, the company has once again claimed to have building construction experience and submitted some subcontracted documents of work done in Uttar Pradesh in 2013, says Shaikh.
"I have requested the civic chief to cancel this tender as the company has already given a very bad name to the civic body," he said. The proposal for awarding the contract will now be sent to the Standing Committee for a final approval.
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