Mumbai, Oct 13 (IANS) In the run-up to the civic and local body elections, the Mumbai unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has demanded an immediate probe into the repeated extensions granted in the tender process for the proposed Bird Park at Mulund in northeast Mumbai.

The party has accused the Chief Engineer of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s (BMC) Building Maintenance Department of deliberately stalling the process to benefit “tainted” firms.

In a letter addressed to BMC Commissioner and Administrator Bhushan Gagrani, Mulund BJP MLA Mihir Kotecha said the tender for the Bird Park project was initially floated on August 29, 2025, with a submission deadline of September 19, 2025. A pre-bid meeting was held on September 10, attended by nine bidders. However, the deadline has since been extended twice — first to October 3 and again to October 17 — resulting in a delay of nearly a month.

“Despite the pre-bid meeting taking place more than four weeks ago, no official replies have been issued to the bidders’ queries, nor have the minutes of the meeting been prepared. Preparing minutes takes no more than 30 minutes, yet even after 28 days, the department has remained silent. These repeated extensions are unjustifiable, unexplained, and unwarranted,” Kotecha said.

He alleged that the Chief Engineer is attempting to favour two contractors — Highway Corporation and Skyway — both of whom have a controversial track record.

“It appears that the Chief Engineer is trying to benefit these tainted contractors. This indicates a clear nexus between certain companies and senior BMC officials. Such actions not only compromise the transparency of the process but also jeopardize one of the BMC’s most iconic projects,” he added.

Kotecha demanded that the tender process be transferred to another department to ensure impartiality, alleging that “the lack of due diligence, fair practices, and sound judgment has allowed vested interests to rig and manipulate the process.”

According to BMC’s project plan, the proposed Bird Park in Mulund will house 206 birds belonging to 18 regional, exotic, and endangered species in enclosures replicating their natural habitats. Spread across a 17,958-square-metre plot in Nahur village, the Rs 166-crore facility will function as a sub-centre of the Veermata Jijabai Bhosale Botanical Udyan and Zoo in Byculla.

–IANS

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