Mumbai: When people were without jobs, his income shot up 400 pc

Suraj Chavan at the Enforcement Directorate (ED) office on June 26. File Pic/Sayyed Sameer Abedi

The Economic Offences Wing (EOW), in its investigation into the Rs 6.37-crore khichdi scam, has revealed that the company under the scanner in the case paid Rs 45 lakh to Suraj Chavan, Aaditya Thackeray's close associate, as ‘khichdi consultancy fees'. The amount Chavan was being paid by the firm saw a 400 per cent increase during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 - a time when people across the globe were losing jobs or experiencing salary cuts. In exchange, he allegedly secured vital contracts for it from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and the government.

Suraj Chavan, a close aide of Yuva Sena chief Aaditya Thackeray, on May 1, 2023. File Pic/Rane Ashish

In September, the EOW initiated an FIR against six individuals for alleged misappropriation of Rs 6.37 crore and financial irregularities related to BMC's contract for distributing khichdi to migrant workers during the pandemic. The FIR, registered at the Agripada police station, names Sujit Patkar, a close asciate of Sanjay Raut; Sunil alias Bala Kadam; Rajeev Salunkhe of Sahyadri Refresments; eployees of Force One Multi Services; Sneha Caterer's parners; and an assistant municipal comissioner (planning), along with other unidentified BMC officials.

Shocking revelations

The EOW has recorded multiple interviews in the case, including statements from Chavan, which led to startling revelations. During the pandemic, Chavan's income saw a 400 per cent increase in April 2020 while working as a consultant for Force One Multi Services. Earlier, he earned just R75,000 per month, but during the peak of the pandemic, the figure increased to Rs 3 lakh.

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An EOW officer commented, "He received Rs 45 lakh during the pandemic as a combination of salary and consultancy fees in connection with the production of khichdi. When questioned about this hike, he provided no satisfactory explanation." Sources have said that he was tasked with administrative work and using political connections to secure contracts during the pandemic. They also indicated that, in addition to Chavan, Patkar received R46 lakh from Sahyadri Refreshments as consultancy fees for khichdi production, deposited into his firm's account.

Another individual under scrutiny in this case is Amol Kirtikar, who is associated with Shiv Sena (UBT), and the son of Lok Sabha member Gajanan Kirtikar, who's affiliated with the Shiv Sena (Shinde faction). The EOW has uncovered that Amol assisted Force One Multi Services in obtaining contracts and received approximately R35 lakh, which is currently under investigation.

The alleged scam

According to insider information, the contract was intended for a company equipped with the necessary kitchens and certifications from health and related departments to prepare khichdi for 5,000 people daily. However, the contracts were awarded to Sahyadri Refreshments and Vaishnavi Kitchen, neither of which possessed these requirements, and they subsequently subcontracted the work. Similarly, Force One lacked the necessary kitchen facilities and subcontracted the production of khichdi. The FIR also suggests that, as per the contract, each packet of khichdi was supposed to weigh 300 grams, but the accused parties provided packets weighing only 100-200 grams to migrant workers.

Rs 6.37cr
Amount misappropriated in ‘khichdi scam'