The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has not initiated any action against as many as 27 officials who were found to be involved in corruption cases from 2005 to February this year but rather reinstated some of them, an RTI query has revealed.
The disclosure has given fresh ammunition to opposition parties to target the Shiv Sena-BJP alliance, which controls the richest civic body, ahead of 2017 municipal polls.
The RTI application was filed by activist Jeetendra Ghadge.
The officials were either caught by ACB for accepting bribes or have cases of disproportionate assets registered against them. However, no action like suspension was taken against them by the civic body, with some of them being reinstated, he said.
"When we citizens read news about BMC officials being arrested in corruption cases by ACB, we assume that BMC suspends them. It's shocking they are reinstated despite cases pending against them. If this is what happening people will not file complaints in ACB fearing revenge from such officials who will be back on duty within a year," Ghadge said.
The development has given a handle to the Congress and NCP to hit the saffron combine with.
"The RTI response is the proof that governance of BMC is in shambles. We have been time and again protesting against the corrupt practices happening under the ruling allies. The citizens of Mumbai will surely teach a lesson to the corrupt politicians backing these corrupt officers," Congress spokesperson Al-Nasser Zakaria said.
NCP leader Sachin Ahir said the ruling corporators are keeping mum as they know they have failed and are a part of the "corrupt" system.
"This is what we can expect from them. They are all helping each other. This is a big racket wherein the ruling corporators have no control over the administration. They know they have failed and are a part of the corrupt system and hence keeping quiet. If the BMC does not suspend these officers from service, we will have to take up the matter in courts," he said.
When contacted, BMC Chief Enquiry Officer Ramesh Danane merely said, "whatever decisions have been taken were taken as per the instructions of BMC Commissioner".
