Covid-19 Centres 'Scam': Fadnavis Says People's Life Was Put At Risk

Maharashtra deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday said  alleged irregularities in setting up Covid-19 care centres in Mumbai during the pandemic when the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government was in office could have resulted in many people losing their life.

Speaking to reporters in Pune, he said companies with no prior experience were roped in to provide medical services during the coronavirus pandemic.

"Along with the scam in the BMC's Covid-19 care centres that was surfaced, shocking information has emerged of how some inexperienced companies were formed and people's life was put at risk (during the pandemic). This also resulted in some people losing their life," said Fadnavis, who is also the home minister.

"A journalist in Pune died because of such mismanagement (of care centres). Hence, an inquiry into this matter (irregularities) was going on, " he said.
However, Fadnavis sidestepped questions related to Enforcement Directorate (ED) raids in Mumbai  in connection with a money laundering case related to alleged scam in running Covid-19 centres.

"The details of the raids, their scope and what information they (ED) have unearthed are not known to me," said the deputy chief minister. The ED on Wednesday raided 15 locations in Mumbai in connection with a money laundering case related to alleged Covid-19 centres scam against businessman Sujit Patkar, believed to be a close aide of Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut, and others.

Asked about Suraj Chavan, a core committee member of the Aaditya Thackeray-led Yuva Sena, coming under the ED lens, the home minister said, "Those who have connection with the scam are being raided by ED officials. However, it is the ED which can give information about the raids as I do not have details."

Chavan is one of the persons whose residence in Mumbai was raided by the ED in connection with the money laundering case. The Mumbai Police had registered a forgery case against Lifeline Hospital Management Services firm, Patkar, and his three partners in August last year. Based on the FIR at the Azad Maidan police station in south Mumbai, the ED registered a case to investigate the money laundering angle.

In January, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal appeared before the ED in connection with alleged irregularities in the award of contracts for the health facilities during the pandemic.