Ahmedabad municipal commissioner returns ₹235 cr garden tenders amid graft allegations

Ahmedabad Municipal Commissioner Banchhanidhi Pani has returned tender files worth ₹235 crore linked to the supply of tractors, trolleys and labour for the garden department, citing serious queries and alleged irregularities, officials said on Friday.

According to sources, complaints from contractors alleged that the tender conditions were framed to favour specific agencies. Following scrutiny, the commissioner sent the files back to the department instead of granting approval. The move has effectively stalled the proposed expenditure.

Garden Department Director Amrish Patel said the tractor–trolley tender was returned after queries were raised by the commissioner’s office, while the labour supply tender is yet to be placed for approval. Standing Committee Chairman Devang Dani said the works would not be approved.

This is not the first time the garden department’s proposals have come under scrutiny. Earlier, approval was withheld for a ₹135-crore plan to plant 40 lakh saplings, and a ₹30-crore operation-and-maintenance tender for 20 lakh saplings was cancelled following a Standing Committee decision.

Officials said the commissioner’s intervention has put a brake on attempts to clear high-value works before the end of the current term, bringing alleged lapses in the garden department of the Amdavad Municipal Corporation under focus.