Mumbai: A 19-year-old Bachelor of Management Studies (BMS) student from Ghatkopar initiated Right to Information (RTI) applications as part of her interest in public administration, leading to unveil of substantial irregularities in a Mulund road project from 2018, including inflated billing, phantom truck usage, and the misappropriation of nearly ₹90 lakh.
The Bombay High Court also took cognisance of her plea and ordered the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to constitute a two-member committee comprising an Additional Commissioner and a Chief Engineer to investigate the allegations.
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The court highlighted the importance of youth involvement in civic matters, noting her motivation stemmed from her college campaigns on citizen rights and the RTI Act. She filed an RTI regarding the Mulund project in 2021, ultimately uncovering documents that pointed to serious deviations.
The teen reported that project challans included value-added tax, despite the switch to Goods and Services Tax in 2017. Additionally, five trucks used in the project were identified as registered motorcycles, while three vehicles had no registration details. She claimed that inflated bills were approved by the assistant engineer, resulting in public fund misuse.
According to report by HT, the 19-year-old Ayman Shaikh’s commitment to civic accountability stems from a personal tragedy: her father’s friend died due to a pothole. This incident unveiled the corruption in road construction, where bribes are common.
Ayman's father, Mehmood Shaikh, who has previously used Right to Information (RTI) requests but struggles with English, received Ayman’s support in drafting documents and presenting their case in court. After filing a police complaint in 2023 and contacting the civic body without results, Ayman escalated the issue to the high court, seeking a probe and criminal action against the responsible officials.
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