SP MLA demands probe into tendering process of Mumbai tunnel aquarium.

Samajwadi Party legislator and former Bombay Municipal Corporation group leader Rais Shaikh on Tuesday has demanded an Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) probe into the entire tendering, bidding, and approval process for the proposed tunnel aquarium inside the Veer Mata Jijabai Bhosale Vanaspati Udyaan and Zoo, popularly called Byculla Zoo.

While talking to media, he said he had written a letter to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis while raising concerns about fire safety, public hazards, lack of procedural transparency, and has alleged corruption involving senior BMC officials. “Only a single bidder participated in the BMC’s aquarium tender. This raises serious concerns about the fairness and transparency of the process. The participation of a lone bidder suggests that the tender may have been manipulated to stifle competition. Moreover, it is learnt that the bidding company is a front company for certain senior BMC officials involved in the project”.

Furthermore, have indicated that the proposed aquarium poses significant safety risks, as it is located directly opposite the penguin enclosure, an area that sees heavy footfall daily.

Jijamata Udyaan, also known as Victoria Gardens and the Byculla Zoo, is a zoo and garden covering 50 acres located at Byculla, in the heart of Mumbai, India. It is the oldest public garden in Mumbai. Post Indian independence, it was officially renamed after Jijamata, the mother of Shivaji, the first Maratha emperor; the original name remains popular over the decades.

The garden is the only green space in Mumbai that features Palladian style architecture, housing the Dr. Bhau Daji Lad Museum, a staff building in Greco-Roman style erected in the memory of Lady Frere; an equestrian statue of King Edward VII made of black marble (originally installed near the University of Mumbai); and the David Sassoon clock tower.

Team Maverick