(Maharashtra) State CIC in hot 'soup'over canteen contracts

As reported in The Free Press Journal on July-12, 2012 : http://www.freepressjournal.in/news/...contracts.html


Mumbai RTI activists have come up with a startling revelation alleging that former Chief Secretary of the state Ratnakar Gaikwad had favored an NGO during his tenure in Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority ( MMRDA).
Activists have alleged that Gaikwad, during his tenure as MMRDA commissioner, favored Sankalp Mahila Audhyogik Utpadak Sahakari Sanstha while providing a contract for canteen services at MMRDA office in Bandra Kurla Complex.
" Gaikwad had flouted all the rules while favoring the NGO as the MMRDA didn't invite any tenders while providing a three- year contract to Sankalp in July 2009," said RTI activist Sulaiman Bhimani who had filed RTI regarding the matter.

MMRDA had also provided their 3000 sq. feet space free of cost without any monthly rentals or security deposit to the NGO. Generally they collect deposit money of Rs 1.25 lakhs and one month rent in advance from other agencies.
" Sankalp is an NGO that is managed by Gaikwads daughter Shivanjali Gaikwad and hence she was illegally favored," said RTI activist Anil Galgali.


MMRDA also increased the amount of coupons being provided to their employees from Rs 300 per month to Rs 500 per month just to favor the group. Bhimani has also claimed that the rates of the food items were also increased by 40 percent.


" The bill of coupons earlier used to come to Rs 3 lakhs but now it is Rs 5 lakhs leading to an extra expenditure of Rs 72 lakhs in 36 months. To add to it, an approximate rent of Rs 50,000 per month that was not collected leads to a loss of Rs 18 lakhs. Hence, MMRDA lost Rs 90 lakhs in the whole process," said Bhimani.


Around 300 employees of MMRDA had also complained about the poor quality of food provided by the canteen and Gaikwad had promised them that action would be taken but nothing of that sort happened.


The contract of the canteen would be expiring by end of July 2012 and now MMRDA has invited new tenders for providing canteen services.


While MMRDA have refuted the favoritism charges and have said they provided the canteen contract to the project affected people ( PAPs) of their projects.


" According to the World Bank guidelines, we had to provide employment to the PAPs and hence we had given the canteen contract to Sankalp," said MMRDA spokesperson Dilip Kawathkar.


RTI activists allege Ratnakar Gaikwad, then the Chief Secretary of Maharashtra, favoured an NGO run by his daughter for a canteen contract in MMRDAs BKC office