MUMBAI: After a controversy over corruption in purchase of body bags, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has scrapped the tender and decided to place a new order.
Social activist Anjali Damania had alleged that all the body bags were purchased at a highly inflated price.
“Disgusting BMC has given a contract of ‘Body Bags’ to Vedant Innotech Private limited, for Rs 6,719 per bag. Directors are Satish & Vedant Kalyankar. (Their) main business is casting of metals FYI, Satish Kalyankar, is a member of Censor Board. Actual cost of a body bag is Rs 250 to Rs 1200,” she had tweeted.
The BMC, which had invited tenders for procurement of additional 3,000 body bags, said it had bought 2,200 body bags so far at a cost of `6,719 each. After the row erupted, the civic body said in a statement,
“A tender was invited and during technical scrutiny, it was found that only one company was eligible. … to ensure competitive pricing, we have decided to cancel the order.”
BMC mayor Kishori Pednekar clarified that 10 firms participated in the tender process, out of nine were disqualified due to various reasons. On a question of why the bags were so costly, it said good quality bags were needed for the Covid-19 bodies.
“The firm which showed interest in supplying the body bags to BMC is also supplying to various other government departments including the Indian Navy. In fact, we got these bags at the reasonable rate,” Amey Ghole, chairman of the BMC’s Health Committee, claimed.The opposition, meanwhile, has also smelt the rat in the Covid isolation centres where a large numbers of beds are reportedly vacant against the demand.
Former BJP MP Kirit Somaiya alleged that just like body bags purchase, another scam was happening in the Covid quarantine centres. Many beds at these centres were lying vacant while people had been refused admission saying there were not enough beds.