BMC Tender Irregularities Deepen: Sachin Sawant Slams “Deliberate Breach” of CVC Guidelines

Mumbai: Senior Congress leader Sachin Sawant has fired a fresh salvo at the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, accusing the civic body of repeatedly violating the Central Vigilance Commission’s guidelines in the handling of multi-crore tenders. In a strongly worded letter addressed to BMC Commissioner Bhushan Gagrani, Sawant alleged that the administration is deliberately manipulating pre-bid qualification criteria to keep genuine bidders out of the race and tilt contracts in favour of select companies.

Sawant reminded the Commissioner that this is the third such instance in recent months. On July 16 he had written to the BMC pointing out how pre-qualification norms in the ₹3,500 crore, 2000 MLD Bhandup Water Treatment Plant tender were arbitrarily tightened after the pre-bid meeting to eliminate competition. Again on September 9, he raised objections over the 910 MLD Panjrapur Water Treatment Project, where the scope of work was quietly expanded months after the pre-bid meeting, a move that would escalate costs and fundamentally alter bidding conditions. Now, his latest complaint draws attention to the Mithi River Package-3 works, which involve large pumping stations, sewage diversion and riverfront development between CST Bridge, Kurla and Mahim Causeway.

According to Sawant, the civic body has once again thrown CVC norms to the wind. In a recently issued addendum, the BMC increased the annual turnover requirement for pump manufacturers from ₹50 crore to ₹210 crore and also changed technical eligibility norms. Sawant argued that pump manufacturers are only suppliers and are not responsible for execution or financing of the project, so imposing such disproportionate thresholds is unjustified. These changes, he warned, will force several competent manufacturers out of the fray, reduce competition and inevitably drive up project costs.

He further reminded that Mumbai is India’s financial capital and the richest municipal body in Asia, and therefore the standards it sets in governance and transparency are followed elsewhere in the country. “When the BMC bends rules and manipulates tenders, it sends the wrong message nationwide,” he said, calling the repeated irregularities a systematic attempt to favour a few at the cost of public trust. Sawant also expressed dismay that his previous two letters have not elicited any response from the administration, and urged immediate corrective action in the current tender along with accountability for those who altered conditions post pre-bid stage.

Sawant concluded that arbitrary changes in tender norms are not technical lapses but deliberate manipulations designed to shrink competition. Such practices, he said, betray the spirit of fair play, inflate project costs, and erode confidence in public institutions.