Thane Collector Orders Probe into Shahapur Bridge Scam, Alleged ₹2 Crore Loss Exposed
The Thane District Collector has ordered an inquiry into alleged irregularities in the Shahapur Khair–Sarangpuri bridge project. Complaints point to inflated bridge length, misleading approvals, and tender manipulation that may have caused a loss of around ₹2 crore. Officials are accused of changing designs and project names to get higher sanctions. An inquiry committee has been asked to submit its report within one month.
The Thane District Collector has ordered a high-level inquiry into alleged financial and administrative irregularities in the Khair–Sarangpuri bridge project in Shahapur taluka, following serious complaints of fraud and misrepresentation.
The inquiry committee has been directed to submit its report within one month, signalling official recognition of a long-pending infrastructure scam involving the Public Works Department, Thane, and allied engineering agencies.
According to the complaint, a 40-metre bridge across the Mumbri River was technically required, but officials allegedly proposed a fictitious 50-metre design to secure inflated administrative approval.
Based on the allegedly bogus bridge map, the Executive Engineer of PWD Division No.2, Thane, obtained administrative sanction worth ₹2.20 crore, misleading the government through manipulated technical documentation.
Records show that on March 23, 2020, a primary survey report and concept design for a 40-metre bridge were submitted to the planning authority for formal technical clearance.
However, instead of approving the required design, the authority issued a general arrangement drawing for a 75-metre bridge on January 20, 2021, raising serious questions over procedural integrity.
PWD Tender Manipulation and Contractor Nexus Alleged
The complaint further alleges that the PWD tender process in Shahapur was manipulated to favour a preferred contractor, who received the bridge construction work order on June 17, 2021.
It is alleged that the contractor colluded with engineers from the planning authority and the Public Works Department to increase quantities, inflating project costs by nearly ₹1 crore beyond approval.
To justify the excess expenditure, officials allegedly changed the project name from Khair–Sarangpuri bridge to Shenve–Khair bridge, misleading the Tribal Development Department.
Through this alleged misrepresentation, fresh administrative approval of ₹1 crore was obtained from the Tribal Development Department on July 7, 2024, the complaint states.
The complainant escalated the issue to the Tribal Development Department Secretary, who subsequently directed the Thane Collector to seek a detailed factual report.
In response, the District Collector constituted an official inquiry committee, tasking it with examining financial approvals, technical deviations, and accountability of concerned officials.
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Illegal Construction, Departmental Silence, and Public Risk
A particularly serious allegation involves construction of the bridge on land reserved for an irrigation canal, instead of the sanctioned Rural Road No.253 alignment.
Despite four years of ongoing construction, the Irrigation Department allegedly raised no objections, adopting a silent observer role while the unauthorised bridge work progressed unchecked.
Currently, the Irrigation Department has issued a separate contract to construct a canal bridge adjacent to the disputed structure, compounding design conflicts and public inconvenience.
The canal excavation was completed six months ago, but its alignment passes through the approach road of the PWD-built Khair village bridge, rendering the structure unusable.
As a result, a bridge constructed at a cost of ₹3.20 crore remains inaccessible to citizens, raising questions over planning coordination and inter-departmental accountability.
Even after five years and ten months since administrative approval, the bridge and approach roads remain undamaged, exposing villagers to dust, skidding risks, and potential accidents.
Local residents are forced to navigate unsafe terrain daily, risking their lives on two-wheelers due to incomplete asphalting and persistent construction neglect.
Experts note that a properly planned 40-metre bridge could have been completed for ₹1.18 crore, at the sanctioned location, and opened for public use over three years ago.
The complaint estimates a minimum ₹2 crore loss to the government due to inflated costs, illegal deviations, and deliberate collusion between contractors and departmental engineers.
The complainant has expressed confidence that once the Sub-Divisional Officer, Bhiwandi, submits the inquiry report, criminal action will be initiated against responsible officials.
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Alleged Misrepresentation by Executive Engineer
The present Executive Engineer, Satyanaryan Kamble, is alleged to have misled the Tribal Development Division to secure ₹1 crore in administrative approval, while attempting to conceal earlier financial irregularities linked to the disputed bridge project.
Sprouts News will continue tracking developments in this case as authorities examine one of Shahapur’s most serious public infrastructure controversies in recent years.
Investigative Oversight and Editorial Accountability
Unmesh Gujarathi, an Indian investigative journalist and Editor-in-Chief of Sprouts News, has closely examined and investigated this matter, bringing critical irregularities to public attention. The Sprouts News Special Investigation Team (SIT) remains firmly committed to upholding transparency, accountability, and justice in the public interest, ensuring citizens’ concerns are rigorously pursued through credible, evidence-based journalism.
