Maharashtra Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik has said he will seek an inquiry by the state Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) into alleged corruption in development works carried out by the Mira Bhayandar Municipal Corporation during its administrative period.
Sarnaik said he would write to the state government requesting the inquiry. The proposed investigation follows repeated allegations by Bharatiya Janata Party legislator Narendra Mehta concerning irregularities in civic projects undertaken by the corporation.
One of the allegations relates to the Balasaheb Thackeray Art Gallery. Mehta has claimed that the project was expected to cost less than Rs 40 crore to construct but that expenditure exceeded Rs 100 crore. The report does not establish whether the higher expenditure was authorised, what components accounted for the difference, or whether any wrongdoing has been confirmed.
Sarnaik said the ACB should also examine the Pramod Mahajan Art Gallery, cement roads, construction permissions issued to developers and other alleged irregularities in the municipal corporation. The minister’s statement represents a request for an inquiry; it does not indicate that an ACB investigation has already formally begun.
The allegations cover several areas of municipal administration. Art galleries and road projects involve public expenditure and construction oversight, while building permissions affect the regulation of private development and the implementation of planning controls. Any formal inquiry would therefore need to establish which decisions, contracts, approvals or payments are being questioned and which authorities were responsible for them.
The report places the announcement within continuing local differences between the BJP and Shiv Sena, which are part of the ruling Mahayuti alliance. The dispute has brought allegations concerning the municipal corporation into the public domain, but the political context does not by itself establish the truth of the corruption claims.
Sarnaik said he would pursue publication of the inquiry report after the investigation is completed and seek action against those found responsible. The next formal step is the submission of his letter to the state government requesting the ACB inquiry. The report does not provide a timeline for that submission, indicate whether the government has accepted the request, or identify any formal order authorising an investigation.
