MUMBAI: Two civic contractors , blacklisted for six years for allegedly defrauding the BMC by claiming funds for sewerage works that were not executed, are back in the bidding process. The corporation recently reduced their ban period from six to four years, ostensibly on “merit” in consideration of their “past good work”.This was allegedly done so that the contractors could participate in a tendering process that is currently underway.One of the two contractors even requested that the blacklisting period be further reduced by two months to participate in a bidding process.The BMC accepted the request and now the contractor, Buildwell Construction , is one of the bidders for a garbage collection contract worth more than Rs 100 crore.On Wednesday, corporators cried foul stating that such reduction in the ban period will set a wrong precedent as other blacklisted contractors might cite these instances to seek concessions. A corporator wrote to civic commissioner Ajoy Mehta to inquire how deputy municipal commissioners offered such “favours” to contractors.The BMC is the country’s richest civic body and it spends approximately Rs 10,000 crore every year on various public works in the city, which are mostly executed through private contractors. In the past, the city had witnessed a road and desilting scam where the contractors had forged bills for shoddy work which caused flooding and created potholes on newly constructed roads.Samajwadi Party leader and BMC corporator Rais Shaikh told TOI: “It’s shocking that the BMC officials gave a clean chit to these contractors and that too after appreciating their past work ‘record’. These contractors had defrauded the BMC by submitting forged documents of the work they had never taken up. They are setting a wrong precedent. Tomorrow, all blacklisted road contractors will ask for similar concessions.”Earlier, the BMC would hire contractors for civil work contracts on work basis. They would submit bills to claim money from the BMC after completing the requested work.The two contractors—Buildwell Construction and H M V Associates—allegedly submitted fake bills to claim money for work which was not executed between 2005 and 2009, in connivance with BMC officials. After the BMC’s internal inquiry found them “guilty” of fraud in 2013, they were banned from participating in any new BMC contract for six years, till 2019. The BMC also awarded punishment to involved officials.In 2016, the two contractors approached an additional municipal commissioner for reduction in their punishment period so that they could bid for new contracts. The assistant civic chief asked a panel of two deputy municipal commissioners to review the contractors’ request on merit and the panel, in turn, reduced the blacklisting period from six to four years. In its report on Buildwell, the panel stated, “The contractor is an experienced contractor in the field of collection and transportation of solid waste. Allowing the contractor to participate in the tender process would increase competition which in turn would be beneficial to the BMC also.”