The municipal corporation’s (MC) enforcement wing has come under the scanner after a civic body employee, identified as Vikas from Sector-25, alleged a large-scale extortion racket within the department.
The controversy began last week when Vikas, a baildar working in the enforcement wing, released a video claiming that most inspectors in the wing are earning lakhs of rupees each month by collecting money from street vendors. He asserted that for two-and-a-half years, he himself worked as a collector for one inspector but was dismissed from his job when he refused to extract larger sums.
Vikas alleged that unlicensed vendors were routinely forced to pay between ₹2,000 and ₹3,000 each, with the amounts being collected systematically for various inspectors. In his video, he even named officers and detailed how the money was distributed. “I have complete information about which employee collected money for which inspector. I even have their mobile numbers and I am ready to face any inquiry,” he had said in his video.
The video triggered uproar, reviving long standing allegations of corruption against the enforcement wing. However, just a day later, Vikas released another clip retracting his statements. In this second video, recorded inside a car, he claimed that he had been intoxicated the night before and that his allegations were false.
Though no inquiry was marked following the viral videos, the MC joint commissioner Sumit Sihag had shuffled the duties of around 70 baildars and had transferred around seven inspectors to MC’s building and road department.
{{/usCountry}}Though no inquiry was marked following the viral videos, the MC joint commissioner Sumit Sihag had shuffled the duties of around 70 baildars and had transferred around seven inspectors to MC’s building and road department.
{{/usCountry}}On Saturday, the controversy took a fresh turn when Vikas addressed a press conference at the Chandigarh Press Club. Breaking his silence, he declared that his original video was indeed the truth, while the second one was recorded under coercion. He alleged that an inspector had forced him to deny his allegations, even using his own phone to record the clip. “The pressure was so immense that I was compelled to make that video. The reality is that inspectors in the enforcement wing have been running a money-collection racket. This should be investigated by vigilance or the CBI,” he said.
Supporting his demand, Mukesh Goyal, president of Shastri Market in Sector 22, who was present at the press conference, stated that he had already lodged a complaint with the municipal commissioner and had also urged a CBI inquiry into the matter. Municipal commissioner Amit Kumar said the allegations will be examined thoroughly and action will be taken against anyone found guilty.