A decade-old newspaper clipping from 2014, exposing corruption within Mumbai’s Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), has recently gone viral on social media.
The clipping reveals a ‘bribe rate list’ that builders were forced to follow in order to get project approvals, bringing renewed attention to longstanding issues of graft within the civic body.
In 2014, The Times of India published a revealing report that exposed deep-rooted corruption within Mumbai’s BMC.
Builders reportedly had to pay bribes ranging from ₹600 to ₹1,200 per square foot for approvals.
This ‘bribe rate list’ detailed specific amounts for various permissions, effectively making bribery mandatory for construction projects within the BMC’s jurisdiction.
Such corruption posed serious challenges for honest developers.
Sunil Prabhu Was The Mayor Of BMC
It is important to note that this old newspaper clipping is being shared on social media to troll the current government and BMC, but the clipping is from the time when Sunil Prabhu was the mayor of BMC.
At that time, he was a leader of the undivided Shiv Sena.
Currently, Sunil Prabhu is an MLA from the Dindoshi Assembly constituency, representing Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena (UBT) party.
The Rate List Emerged During President’s Rule In Maharashtra
The ‘bribe rate list’ came to light when Maharashtra was under the President’s rule.
Before that, the Congress party governed the state, with Prithviraj Chavan serving as Chief Minister.
The rate list shows that builders paid bribes amounting to lakhs of rupees to get their projects approved by the BMC.
This systemic bribery inflated construction costs, and builders passed these extra expenses on to homebuyers.
Experts have noted that these practices significantly contributed to Mumbai’s high real estate prices, making housing less affordable.
Corruption also delayed project approvals, impacting infrastructure development.
The 2014 revelations underscore the challenges of corruption within municipal bodies.
While historical, this serves as a reminder of the ongoing need for transparency and accountability to ensure fair governance and sustainable development in Mumbai.
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