A member of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) has alleged Chandivali MLA Dilip Lande of handing over multiple BMC cookers to a local party member. Amid allegations of Rs. 12.50 crore Pressure Cooker Scam, the latest set of allegations against the MLA raises question BMC’s distribution of cookers and MLA’s claim of distributing it to women.
On August 13, the Free Press Journal had reported about the alleged Pressure Cooker Scam wherein the BMC reportedly bought 50,000 cookers at a cost of Rs. 12.50 crores, alleged to be four times higher cost than the market price. The drive was actually a part of a municipal social welfare scheme meant for the underprivileged living in L ward. However, BMC got them distributed by Lande and through a series of events, the latter passed off the initiative as his own by etching his own name on the cookers.
While Lande continues to distribute the cookers in his constituency, Santosh Darvesh, vice secretary of MNS Mumbai, has raised allegations that the MLA has handed over multiple cookers to his close aide and party’s shakha pramukh Surendra (Babu) More. Darvesh has also recorded a video wherein he claimed that a rickshaw driver was caught red handed while dropping off multiple cookers at More’s residence on Saturday.
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Talking to The Free Press Journal, Darvesh said, “BMC’s scheme is for poor and the MLA claims to be distributing the cookers only to women, then what are these vessels doing in shakha pramukh’s residence? I had submitted 100 forms to the BMC for my neighbours and people from my matdaar sangh, but we received none and was told that MLA’s workers have taken away all the cookers. We will accept the cookers only from the BMC as the MLA has not paid for them.”
The video recorded by Darvesh was circulated on social media on Saturday. The video shows a rickshaw driver with a sack collecting multiple boxes of Nandu Safe pressure cookers, the brand being distributed by the MLA. The person is further seen dropping those cookers inside a house, which Darvesh claims of belonging to More. The video was also shared by Chandivali Citizens Welfare Association (CCWA) on micro blogging platform X.
Mandeep Singh Makkar, founder of CCWA, said, “Chandivali's cooker scam is now evident, and the open loot of public funds has been exposed. It's clear by seeing the video that cookers have been distributed without proper verification. This is a clear case of misappropriation of assets brought with public funds. It's high time Mumbai police investigate the matter and take appropriate action against the people responsible for this scam.”
The Free Press Journal had earlier reported that Nikhil Kamble, the complainant in the case, had asked the data for distribution of cookers from the ‘L’ ward officer. Dhanaji Herlekar, the assistant municipal commissioner had earlier claimed to have all the data but is yet to disclose the details about it.
