CAG report on BMC tabled, records for Covid-19 management not submitted

The BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has repeatedly failed to furnish records related to expenditure for the management of the Covid-19 pandemic in Mumbai, according to the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) which probed into the alleged irregularities in the premier civic body of the country.

The Special Audit Report of the BMC was tabled by the Eknath Shinde-Devendra Fadnavis government in the Maharashtra Legislature.

It is pertinent to note that the BMC was ruled by Shiv Sena at the time of the pandemic - at a time when Uddhav Thackeray was the Maharashtra chief minister and headed the Maha Vikas Aghadi government.

Fadnavis, who is the deputy chief minister and finance minister, tabled the report in the Assembly.

The decision to probe the affairs of the BMC was taken after Shinde and Fadnavis took over the state on 30 June toppling the Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress dispensation.

On October 31, 2022, the Urban Development Department formally requested the CAG for a special audit of 76 identified works, costing Rs 12,023.88 crore, as executed by nine departments of BMC during the period from November 28, 2019, to October 31, 2022.

The audio included the expenditure on 13 Jumbo Covid Centres, 24 Ward Offices, five major hospitals, six specialised hospitals, 17 peripheral hospitals, one dental hospital and others.

The CAG started the audit from November 14, 2022.

However, BMC issued a legal notice on 17 November 2022 to the CAG to not proceed with any audit of any acts/works/decisions taken pursuant to Covid-19 management/expenditure costing Rs 3,538.73 crore referring to its interpretation of the provisions of the Epidemic Act, 1897 and Disaster Management Act, 2005.

“The records related to expenditure for management of Covid 19 were not produced for audit by BMC despite repeated requests. The non-production of records apart from impinging on the Constitutional responsibilities devolved on the Comptroller and Auditor General of India also deprived BMC of crucial audit inputs, which would have been beneficial for any course correction and systemic improvements,” the CAG report states.

“In the absence of Covid-19 management records, no confirmation can be made in the audit on the propriety, efficiency, economy and effectiveness of Covid-related expenditure by BMC at this juncture,” it said.

In his observations, Fadnavis said: “The report will first be examined by the Public Accounts Committee. After they examine the report and if something blatant is found, action can be taken.”

Yuva Sena president and Worli MLA Aaditya Thackeray said: “We are all for transparency…there should be an audit for all the corporations as well.”