A department initiated to promote transparency and good governance in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is struggling to abide by these virtues.

The civic body has ordered an audit into all the dealings carried by the information and technology (IT) department. The municipal chief auditor has been appointed to look into financial transactions and contracts awarded by the department.

A senior civic official said the auditors had been asked to do a comprehensive audit.

Another official said there was evidence that illegal payments those made without the approval of the statutory standing committee and the civic general body had been made to contractors.

The department allegedly awarded big contracts to private parties without calling for tenders.

Another senior official also pointed out that the terms and conditions entered into while awarding some of these contracts were ambiguous. These contracts are open-ended. The vendor exit clause is vague, the official said.

The auditors are expected to complete the exercise in three months.

Meanwhile, in a bid to enhance transparency, the department has put up details of registrations granted to shops and establishments in the city on the corporations portal.

Also, last week, the department issued work orders for a pilot project involving development of dedicated software for healthcare facilities. The pilot project will be implemented at Lokmanya Tilak Municipal General Hospital, Sion and the KB Bhabha Hospital, Bandra.