Mumbai: Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has announced an investigation into alleged irregularities in the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) tender process for leasing buses, which is alleged to have caused a loss of approximately Rs 1,700 crore.

Addressing the legislative council on Wednesday, Fadnavis stated that the work orders for acquiring 1,310 buses were issued through “collusion” with contractors at the MSRTC level. He assured that action would be taken within a month against those involved.

Fadnavis was responding to a starred question from Congress MLA Rajesh Rathod. He explained that the work orders were issued during the government formation period after the November 2024 elections, when a full cabinet was not yet in place and neither the chief minister nor the deputy chief minister had approved the process.

“This resulted in an estimated loss of Rs1,700 crore to the state exchequer. Once the irregularities were identified, the tender process was halted, and an inquiry was ordered under the additional secretary of the Transport Department,” Fadnavis said.

The transport portfolio is currently held by Pratap Sarnaik of the Shiv Sena, a party led by Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.