NASHIK :
After concerned bicycle company issued a notice regarding cancellation of public bicycle sharing (PBS) project to Nashik Municipal Smart City Development Corporation Ltd (NMSCDCL), this project is mired into a controversy.
A shocking revelation about the project has come to light in the information which was sought under the Right to Information Act. After seeing expenditure on PBS, it is being asked whether NMSCDCL purchased a single bicycle for Rs 2 lakh. As there is doubt of huge irregularity in it, conduct a high-level enquiry into this, demanded president of Godapremi Seva Samiti Devang Jani.
Though public bicycle sharing project has been run on PPP basis, it has come to light that Nashik office of NMSCDCL stated that information about 6 basic queries which asked under Right to Information Act is not available with it, said Devang Jani.
Despite this, the report dated December 20, 2019, by Nashik Municipal Smart City Development Corporation Ltd mentioned that Rs 28.23 crore was spent for public bicycle sharing project. However, the company failed to mention approximate project cost in tenders floated by it.
In addition, there was no account of expenditure on the project was maintained, the company is unaware of income and expenditure. This is serious. Though it is the responsibility of the company, it has come to light that it failed to fulfil it.
As per the information which received under the RTI has shown that there is a huge irregularity in the functioning of the company. If the expenditure of Rs 8 crore of the total Rs 28 crore for infrastructure is considered, there is a question whether Rs 20 crore was spent to buy 1,000 bicycles and whether a single bicycle purchased at Rs 2 lakh, asked Jani and demanded a probe into this.
