Kishori Pednekar, the Mayor of Mumbai, denies allegations of corruption in the Byculla zoo contracting process

Last week's charges by BJP MLA Mihir Kotecha of irregularities in the Byculla zoo's exotic animal contract provoked a vehement rebuttal from Mumbai Mayor Kishori Pednekar. "I am a 60-year-old middle-class woman who hasn't visited any foreign nations yet," she stated, refuting claims that the tendering procedure resulted in a cost increase of Rs 106 crore.

 

Many citizens are unable to travel abroad to witness exotic animals due to financial constraints. Allow Mumbai residents to observe exotic animals in their city." Last week, Kotecha and BJP corporator Vinod Mishra accused the ruling Shiv Sena of wrongdoing in obtaining animals for the zoo, including a black jaguar, cheetah, white lion, and chimpanzee. The two leaders said that the BMC had invited proposals for a project worth Rs 188 crores but broke it into two halves, worth Rs 91 crores and Rs 94 crores, to prevent foreign bidders from partnering with Indian enterprises.

 

The BJP has also claimed that the BMC aided two companies in the bidding process, M/s Highway Construction and M/s Skyway Construction. The expected rates of Rs 91 crores and Rs 94 crores were set according to the 2018 schedule, however, the enterprises that won the bidding procedure put forth Rs 146 crores and Rs 145 crores after consulting with their overseas partners, according to the Mayor.

 

She also made it clear that bidders must consider all aspects of the project. "Even though we spent Rs 5 crores on them, the BMC is also earning roughly Rs 1.5 lakhs profit every month," Pednekar added, referring to the zoo's famously controversial Humboldt penguins. Thousands of people have come to visit them at the zoo. So, what good does it do to oppose the penguin spending?"

 

 

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