Mumbai:  In a blistering attack, senior Maharashtra Congress spokesperson Sachin Sawant has accused the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) of flouting Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) guidelines in the latest Mithi River cleanup tender, labelling it a blatant bid to funnel the contract to a BJP crony.

Sawant dismissed BMC’s media clarification as a tacit admission of foul play. The tender, now in its third iteration after cancellations in March 2023 and February 2025, originally pegged pump manufacturers’ turnover eligibility at ₹50 crore. But post pre-bid meeting, it was arbitrarily jacked up to ₹210 crore—allegedly to crush competition, despite pump suppliers’ role being limited to mere equipment provision for contractors.

“Deliberate sabotage of fair play,” Sawant charged, citing CVC rules that prohibit tightening eligibility post-publication to preserve bidder diversity. He had earlier fired off an evidence-backed letter to the BMC Commissioner. Officials, speaking anonymously, defended the hike: With pump supply valued at ₹700 crore, they couldn’t enforce quality specs, so they “intentionally” set turnover at 30% (₹210 crore) for “better standards.”

Sawant shredded this excuse: “Third tender in three years, all with ₹50 crore threshold—were BMC’s intentions evil before? Engineers and consultants napping till now? Previous bids had massive costs too; why forget the 30% rule then?” He challenged BMC to reveal how many pump firms now qualify (only four did earlier) and demanded the tender’s immediate scrapping plus a probe into errant officials.

“This rigged clause is the key to handing the deal to a BJP buddy entrepreneur,” Sawant fumed, urging swift action to restore transparency in Mumbai’s flood-prone river revival efforts.