BHOPAL: The Madhya Pradesh Lokayukta has started an investigation into allegations of corruption in tenders awarded by Bhopal Municipal Corporation (BMC) to a company co-owned by former chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan’s brother.The special police establishment (SPE) has issued notices to BMC commissioner, seeking documents of tenders awarded to the firm for installation of gantries in Bhopal in 2016, said sources. Shivraj’s brother Rohit Singh Chouhan and Rohit’s wife are two of the four directors in this company, said sources.It is alleged that BMC had given the contract to construct gantries on build-finance-operate-maintain-and-transfer basis to the firm, overlooking the higher price it had quoted. "The firm had offered Rs 25.76 per sq ft while two other companies had quoted Rs 16.10 per sq ft and Rs 14.95 per sq ft for the same work. Despite this, it was preferred, causing a loss of lakhs to the corporation," said an official.It is also alleged that more than 200 gantries were installed without obtaining feasibility report from engineers, “compromising the safety of residents”. One of the gantries installed by the company at Banganga intersection had collapsed last monsoon , triggering a political war. Congress corporators had targeted BJP for failing to investigate and act against those responsible for the collapse. Several vehicles were crushed when the 20-foot high and 60-foot wide advertising billboard had fallen.Later, BMC admitted that the gantries had been installed by the company without providing technical stability report. BMC had appointed MANIT experts to check the structures for stability

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