French engineering firm Systra has accused senior officials of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) of corruption, alleging undue demands and delayed payments. According to a report by TOI's Manthan K Mehta & Chaitanya Marpakwar , the company claims officials pressured it to inflate contractor orders, stalled staff approvals, and imposed arbitrary penalties.In a letter dated November 12, 2024, the French embassy urged Maharashtra’s resident commissioner, Rupinder Singh, to intervene, citing "severe harassment and challenges" faced by Systra in its role as a general consultant for MMRDA projects. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis stated that he had not received the complaint but assured transparency in governance. "Transparency is at the core of our administration. We will ensure it is restored at any cost," he said.MMRDA dismissed the allegations as "baseless" and a "deliberate attempt to malign" its reputation. It submitted a report to the government highlighting contractual and regulatory violations by Systra, including cost overruns from 4.27% to 10%. The agency has issued a termination notice to Systra for violations related to security and operations.Systra claims issues began in August 2023 following a leadership change at MMRDA. As a consultant for multiple metro lines, the firm alleges that officials made financial demands, citing pressure from higher authorities. "Since August 2023, Systra has been facing severe problems in its daily operations, escalating to the suspension of its payments due in January 2024," it stated.Between January and February 2024, MMRDA suspended payments, citing deficiencies in already-resolved issues across multiple metro lines, including Thane-Bhiwandi-Kalyan (Line 5), Dahisar-Mira-Bhayander (Line 9), and Lokhandwala-Vikhroli (Line 6). While some suspensions were lifted in June 2024, payments for civil works on Lines 5, 9, and 7A remain frozen, with Rs 30 crore unpaid.Systra also alleges pressure to approve inflated orders for a contractor on Line 9. "Since we are not obliging... we believe MMRDA is continuing the suspension of payments," it stated. The firm claims similar tactics are being used against DB E&C, a German consultancy working on Line 4.MMRDA maintains that the issue is a commercial dispute and that Systra is inappropriately framing it as a diplomatic matter. "Unfortunately, Systra appears to be attempting to escalate this into an issue between a foreign country and an agency of the government of Maharashtra, which is not an appropriate practice," the authority said.Systra has taken the matter to the Bombay High Court. Its general manager for Mumbai, Arun Mishra, declined to comment, stating that the case is sub judice.