Mumbai civic body suspends 14 employees for 'shoddy work'

Mumbai civic body today suspended 14 of its employees and also filed a criminal complaint against them for allegedly doing "shoddy work" in connection with cleaning of nullahs.
This is one of the strictest actions taken by the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM) in the recent past.
Those against whom the complaint has been filed include - one Chief Engineer, six Sub-Engineers, Four Assistant Engineers and Three Mukadams (work supervises), a top civic official said.
Senior police inspector of Azad Maidan police station N P Singh said, "Yes, we have received the criminal complaint and process of filing an FIR is underway."

The MCGM has also filled a similar complaint against seven contractors and operators.
The civic body had invited tenders from contractors to de-silt the nullah spreading across eastern and western suburb of the city this year.

In last two years --2015-16 and 2016-17, total 32 contractors were appointed by the MCGM as per its due process.
The contractors were supposed to de-silt 60 per cent of the nullah before monsoon, 20 per cent during monsoon and the rest after monsoon, a MCGM statement said.
"But after going through the complaints filed by citizens and experts, (Municipal) Commissioner had asked a proper enquiry by an officer of the rank of Additional Municipal Commissioner, who in his inspection found serious fraud such as two different contractors had reported to have cleaned the same spot at the same time," it said.

"Apart from other irregularities resolved by the contractors, BMC administration found that chief engineers miserably failed to keep a tab on contractors' malpractices and they did not even bother to take cognisance over the repeated news in the papers.
"With this disciplinary action, our motive is crystal clear that from now onwards no one would be spared whosoever it be," another top official said.