Mumbai: While Chandivali MLA Dilip Lande's alleged Pressure Cooker Scam still lacks investigation, information received under RTI has revealed that the BMC has also allotted Rs 4.28 crores for pressure cooker distribution in the Mahim constituency.
Documents have revealed that on Mahim MLA Sada Sarvankar's request, Mumbai's Guardian Minister Deepak Kesarkar had directed the BMC to transfer Rs 5 Crores of funds meant for civic work to the Women and Child Department for cooker distribution.
Chandivali MLA Dilip Lande has been under controversy for an alleged Pressure Cooker Scam that was reported by The Free Press Journal in August. The BMC’s L ward had reportedly bought 50,000 cookers at a cost of Rs 12.50 crore, allegedly four times costlier than the market price, as a part of a municipal social welfare scheme meant for the underprivileged.
However, the BMC got them distributed by Lande, who passed off the initiative as his own by etching his own name on the cookers. The BMC’s Vigilance reports had also revealed that the L Ward had also procured sarees, umbrellas, laptops, walkers, spectacles and jute bags on same date as the procurement of the pressure cookers.
Although the multi-crore scam still lacks any investigation, the latest information received from BMC under the RTI act revealed that the BMC has also allotted Rs 4.28 Crores for pressure cooker distribution in the Mahim constituency.
This information was revealed after Advocate Nikhil Kamble, the complainant in the Pressure Cooker Scam, had sought information about funds sanctioned to various assemblies for work other than basic civic amenities.
The RTI reply revealed that Rs.10 Crores have been disbursed to Chandivali assembly constituency in 2023-24 whereas Rs4.28 Crores have been disbursed to Mahim assembly constituency in 2024-25. Notably, the letters written by Sarvankar and Kesarkar to BMC commissioner had earlier demanded Rs.5 crores for cooker distribution in the constituency.
Based on Sarvankar’s letter dated August 29, Kesarkar had written to the BMC commissioner on September 4 to divert Rs.5 Crores from Rs.17.50 Crores of fund allocated for civic work in G/North and G/South wards to the women and child department for cooker distribution on “MLA Sada Sarvankar’s request.”
Following the minister’s letter Sarvankar also wrote to the BMC commissioner to legally reallocate Rs.4 Crores in G/North ward and Rs.1 Crore in G/South ward to the women and child department for cooker distribution. However, there has been no information whether the amount has been utilised to distribute cookers among the residents.
The RTI information also said that the BMC has provisioned Rs.100 crore in its budget to be allocated for work other than basic civic amenities. In absence of municipal corporators due to delay in elections for over more than two years, these funds are being allocated to the MLAs for ‘development work’.
Kamble said, “The MCGM, under the influence of the ruling Shinde Sena and BJP, is blatantly misusing taxpayers’ funds in the name of distribution schemes. These funds are diverted to promote individual political leaders and further their agendas. This is a clear abuse of power and a betrayal of the trust of Mumbaikars. The citizens deserve accountability, not self-promotion by those in power.”
Mushtaq Ansari, a Mahim-based social activist known as Pothole Warrior, said, “The amount spent over cookers could have been utilised for various developmental works. Many areas in Mahim East lack cleanliness and clean drinking water. Students in the municipal school near Mahim Dargah have to carry their own water to school due to lack of clean drinking water. There is so much that can be done with this fund. Anyways, these cookers will end up being distributed to the near ones of the MLA and will not reach to the citizens who actually need it.”
