Election-Time Alert Scam !
Just weeks before elections, Panvel Municipal Corporation has pushed a tailor-made tender that allows ONLY ONE COMPANY to qualify for an unproven Gate Pump technology with ZERO installations in India. The said tender is construction of Storm Water Pumping station including gate and gate pump at Kalamboli holding pond valued approx Rs 50-75 crores and Monday is the day for submission. I have requested the Municipal Commissioner to hold the submission process, as everything is ‘rigged’.
All serious technical objections were summarily rejected, while clarifications benefiting a single OEM were accepted and incorporated via corrigenda. Specifications read like a cut-paste from one vendor’s catalogue. This is not “procurement” — this is pre-decided allocation of public money. Proven, economical technologies used across Mumbai were deliberately excluded, exposing taxpayers to audit risk and massive cost escalation.
Who approved this?
Who benefited?
Why now—just before elections?
Voters deserve answers. We demand an immediate stay, independent probe, and full disclosure of the role of officials, consultants, and beneficiaries.
Silence now equals complicity.
All eyes are pointing towards Grundfos for which the above tender ‘setting’ is done. Grudges is one of the international pump manufacturers that has alleged a cartel run by Mr Ketan Kadam favouring pump operators. In one of the active bids at Panvel, International representative of Hassa pump has asked contractors to approach Vooder i.e. the company run by Jay Joshi & Ketan Kadam for the tie-up of the MOU. I had exposed this via my blogs and informed Hon’ble CM and Municipal Commissioner Mangesh Chitale in which both of them sprung into action and this tender was averted. Now where do cartels keep quiet?
Allegedly, the same company in liaison with some FRIENDS (who have a habit of dragging corporations to court) is ready to bag the above ‘managed’ tender just before elections. It was my duty to call the Municipal Commissioner and inform him about this and request him to NOT ALLOW submissions of any companies that are due on coming Monday. Also some reputed contractors experts in the field have alleged on paper the same. Further agencies who pioneered Gate pumps in the MMR area were refused the mandatory MoU. Further, another larger gate pump manufacturer has already served legal notice about the injustice done to him by not approving his brand and in a way not allowing to break the barrel.
By the way, Ketan Kadam is nowhere in the scene now, but the post is occupied by a ‘Shriram’ who is running the pump cartel in Mumbai and MMR.
Vikrant Meena Hemant Joshi.
