This is the first FIR by EOW into spending of money by BMC during the pandemic. The contractor has been identified as Vedanta Innotech Pvt Ltd (VIPL), and the FIR includes other unnamed BMC officials, including a DMC of central purchase department (CPD). Velrasu is AMC (projects) and had handled all Covid-related procurement through CPD and the mechanical and electrical department.
The EOW initiated four preliminary enquiries two weeks ago. One of the PEs pertained to purchase of body bags. Earlier, in the Covid scam, ED had booked another IAS officer Sanjeev Jaiswal. Velrasu and Jaiswal are principal secretary rank officers. The alleged irregularities came to light during ED searches linked to a Covid centre scam case registered against arrested businessman Sujit Patkar.
A police officer with EOW is the complainant in the FIR registered with Agripada police station. The FIR has invoked sections of misappropriation, cheating and criminal conspiracy. Velrasu told TOI he has no idea regarding the FIR and had no comments to offer. The BMC officials entrusted with use of civic funds hatched a criminal conspiracy to favour contractor VIPL and its directors and defrauded BMC, committing criminal breach of entrustment of public money of Rs 50 lakh, the FIR said.
During the pandemic, large procurement was carried out and according to the FIR, misappropriation of funds happened in purchase of various goods like masks and bags. In April 2020, BMC floated Expression of Interest (EOI) to purchase 1,000 body bags. After scrutiny of documents and testing of samples, VIPL was awarded purchase order for 1,000 bags at Rs 6,719 per bag. Accordingly, VIPL supplied bags. BMC floated another EOI on April 14, 2020 for further supply of bags and again, VIPL was the sole eligible vendor in the scrutiny. So BMC decided to invite a fresh EOl. On April 29, it floated the third EOI, where bidders were Care One Solutions and VIPL.
Care One Solutions, post-negotiations, offered to supply body bags at Rs 2,583 per bag. In the meantime, then mayor Pednekar of Shiv Sena called Haridas Rathod (who held additional charge as deputy dean, CPD) at her bungalow at Rani Baug and instructed him to give the contract to VIPL, the FIR said. – Inputs by Chaitanya Marpakwar
