Aaditya Thackeray Calls For EOW Probe Into Mumbai's Rs 7,000 Crore Road Project

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray has called for an Economic Offences Wing investigation into Mumbai's Rs 7,000 crore concrete road repair project, urging the exclusion of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and former guardian ministers from the new government pending inquiry. The project, designed to repair 700 km of roads and address Mumbai's persistent pothole issues, was initiated during Shinde's tenure as Chief Minister.

The controversy has drawn attention from multiple political quarters, with Mumbai BJP Chief Ashish Shelar requesting a Special Investigation Team probe and demanding technical audits involving IIT Mumbai and VJTI experts. The situation has been further complicated by local protests in Colaba, where residents and former BJP corporator Makarand Narwekar have highlighted significant delays and quality concerns in the project's implementation.

Thackeray has specifically alleged cartelization in contract allocation under Shinde's leadership of the Urban Development portfolio. The project's execution has faced additional scrutiny following reports of minimal progress despite contracts being awarded in September 2023 at rates exceeding the estimated budget, leading to traffic disruptions and growing public dissatisfaction.