Thane theme park: Probe into excess money paid to contractor

The Thane Municipal Corporation has ordered an inquiry into alleged irregularities in the construction of a theme park in the city.

In an official statement, the civic body said the 'Old Thane-New Thane Theme Park' was to be constructed at a cost of Rs 16.35 crore.

The contractor was paid Rs 11.67 crore for the work but a recent audit by a committee headed by the civic body's additional municipal commissioner had shown that this work was worth only Rs 10.96 crore.

This meant the contractor had been paid excess of Rs 71 lakh, the statement said.

The TMC statement said the excess amount would be recovered and penalties will be imposed on the contractor if necessary.

It said Municipal Commissioner Sanjeev Jaiswal had also ordered freezing of the contractor's bank guarantee and security deposit.

Erring civic officials will also be probed, it said.

The theme park, situated in the city's Patlipada Junction, was inaugurated in March last year and had replicas of old monuments and new structures that define the city.