'Tainted' contractor given Mumbai Metro works: Congress

Mumbai, Aug 11: Congress today claimed the BJP-led Maharashtra government has allotted works of Mumbai Metro project to a contractor allegedly involved in the road repair scam in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).

"The state government-controlled Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority has decided to allot works of Metro-III and Metro-VII, worth Rs 5,000 crore, to a tainted contractor involved in the BMC road repair scam. It shows BJP's double standard on corruption," state Congress spokesperson Sachin Sawant said here.

BMC had filed a complaint against M/s J Kumar Infra Projects for irregularities in road repair works, he claimed.

"Despite initiating the process of blacklisting, BMC decided to allot a bridge contract to the same contractor.... High Court passed severe strictures due to which the civic standing committee finally scrapped that contract," he added.

BJP leaders had made a lot of hue and cry about corruption in the BMC then and the government had said that CBI probe would be conducted if necessary, Sawant pointed out. "BMC revoked the license of this contractor.

Yet the MMRDA allotted Metro project works to him claiming that it has been given as per the guidelines of Japan International Corporation," Sawant said.

He also said that a Congress delegation would call on the Anti-Corruption Bureau officials tomorrow to seek information on progress of probe in corruption cases against state ministers.

PTI