Govt announces audit as BJP MLA alleges `scam' in BMC's Adopt-a-Slum scheme

Nagpur, Dec 9 (PTI) The `Adopt-a-Slum' scheme of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) will be audited following allegations of corruption, the Maharashtra government stated in the legislative assembly on Tuesday.

Minister of State for Urban Development Madhuri Misal made the announcement in response to a demand by BJP MLA and the party's Mumbai unit president Ameet Satam.

Satam alleged that several non-governmental organisations appointed under the scheme do not follow prescribed norms, appoint fewer workers than mandated, and do not carry out regular waste collection in slum areas. "This results in a large amount of garbage accumulating in public spaces, and there appears to be a misuse of funds allocated under the scheme," he said.

Calling the alleged mismanagement a "scam", Satam claimed that officials of the BMC's solid waste management department were also involved. The scheme plays a crucial role in the collection of garbage from slums and its transportation to dumping grounds, but the criteria of 150 families or 750 population per unit is not being followed, Satam said.

Instead of the required 15 workers per designated area, most NGOs deploy only five to ten workers, while claiming funds for more staff, the MLA alleged.

Satam also said that garbage is required to be collected twice a day in slum areas as households cannot store waste, but this does not happen. If necessary, the population criterion should be reduced from 750 to 500 and wages of workers should be increased while ensuring adequate deployment of manpower, he added. PTI ND KRK