Mumbai Metro Pillars Get Paint Before Construction: Aaditya Thackeray Alleges Rs 74.41-Crore Scam

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray on Monday accused the Maharashtra urban development department of being involved in a Rs 74.41-crore scam related to the painting of metro pillars in Mumbai, as reported by Hindustan Times. Speaking at a press conference on the final day of campaigning for the assembly elections, Thackeray claimed that the department, which is overseen by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, had approved painting work for Metro corridors 2A and 7, even though construction was still pending. Thackeray suggested this was done to benefit contractors.

"When we build a house, do we paint it before completing the construction work? This government does not have money to pay BEST employees and farmers, yet it is spending crores of rupees for the benefit of contractors. This is a scam," Thackeray said. He warned that the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) would initiate an inquiry into the matter once it came to power after the polls.

The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), which operates under the urban development department, is working on several metro corridors across the city. Thackeray said that they have documents showing MMRDA's communication from December 2022, which revealed that the painting of pillars for Metro corridors 2A and 7 was sanctioned while construction was still ongoing.

"We have documents that show despite objections from some officials, the urban development department approved Rs 74.41 crore for painting the pillars of Metro 2A and 7 before completing civil work. This was done so that they could later approve repainting after the civil work and girders were finished. The urban development department under Chief Minister Eknath Shinde is responsible for this scam," he said.

Metro 2A, also known as the yellow line, connects Dahisar East to DN Nagar in Andheri, while Metro 7, or the red line, connects Dahisar East to Andheri East. Both lines were inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in January 2023.

Thackeray also referred to a statement by BJP leader Pankaja Munde, who claimed that 90,000 BJP workers from Gujarat were being deployed in Maharashtra for the upcoming elections. Thackeray raised concerns about this, stating, "Why do they need 90,000 people from Gujarat to work in Maharashtra? If the Mahayuti alliance wins, it will be a victory for Gujarat, but if the MVA wins, it will be a victory for Maharashtra."

Furthermore, Thackeray alleged that there were rumours being spread in Magathane that Shiv Sena (UBT) candidate Udesh Patekar had declared support for Prakash Surve, a candidate from the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena. Thackeray urged the Election Commission to take action following a complaint filed by Patekar regarding the rumour.