The BMC suspended deputy law officer Aruna Sawala last week after it came to light that she had goofed up and allowed tainted contractors, involved in the Rs150 crore de-silting scam, get away easily with a stay order.
The BMC's action follows directions from BMC chief Ajoy Mehta to crack the whip on errant civic officials who helped contractors by letting the BMC's case fall flat before the Bombay High Court. However, Sawla managed to get a stay on the suspension from the HC on Tuesday.
Following the HC's stay on the blacklisting orders, the BMC issued show cause notices to four officials from the law and city engineer's department. Nasir Ali Shaikh, the BMC's law officer confirmed the suspension to dna.
Mehta had said that action would be taken against officials responsible for the debacle. dna had first reported that in a big set back for the BMC, the HC had stayed the civic body order blacklisting contractors booked in the de-silting scam. The HC had called the order of blacklisting as illegal since contractors were not given any opportunity of being heard before being blacklisted.
Show cause notices were issued to Vaibhav Borkar (assistant engineer), Anil Jadhav (executive engineer of the Monitoring and Registration Cell), Vinod Mahadik (assistant law officer), and Sawala.
"We found gross negligence on Sawla's part and so she was suspended. We are mulling action on the other officials and engineers involved," said a senior civic official. The notices were issued following a report, sought by Mehta, on the status of the case and explanation from the officials as to why they failed to put across the BMC's stand before HC.
