BMC Commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal arrives at the ED office in connection with its probe into the alleged irregularities in award of contracts for COVID-19 care centres, in Mumbai on January 16, 2023.
| Photo Credit: PTI
Commissioner of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), Iqbal Singh Chahal, appeared before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Monday to record his statement in the First Information Report (FIR) filed by BJP leader Kirit Somaiya alleging irregularities in COVID-19 centres set up by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) in the last two years.
On January 14, the Central agency issued notices to the BMC, Mr. Chahal, and other civic body officials, seeking details of the alleged illegal award of contracts to Lifeline Hospital Management Services (LMHS) during the COVID-19 pandemic. Soon thereafter, the Economic Offences Wing also sent out similar notices to the BMC’s senior officers.
Mr. Somaiya, in his FIR filed in August 2022, has alleged that the hospital management had secured contracts from the BMC to provide services to the ‘Jumbo Covid Centres’, allegedly causing a loss of ₹38 crore to the civic body.
According to Mr. Somaiya, one of the LHMS’ four partners a family friend of Shiv Sena (Uddhav Thackeray faction) leader, Sanjay Raut. The BJP leader has alleged that the LHMS was given the contract to set up two ‘Jumbo Covid Centres’ at Dahisar and Worli, respectively, though the LHMS did not have any experience in providing healthcare facilities. The LHMS was blacklisted by the Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority but the company concealed this fact from the BMC and managed to secure the contract, Mr. Somaiya has alleged.
