AAP alleges corruption by MCDs in building construction

Addressing a press conference, Bhardwaj, who is the MLA from Greater Kailash, alleged that MCD officials are taking ₹10-15 lakh for each building in his constituency.

Citing a purported conversation between BJP MLA Anil Bajpai and an east municipal corporation engineer, AAP chief spokesperson Saurabh Bhardwaj on Tuesday said that the BJP leader has exposed alleged corruption, with “only those who give money to the municipal corporations of Delhi (MCD) being allowed to construct buildings in the city”.

AAP Chief Spokesperson Saurabh Bharadwaj addresses a press conference at 206 Rouse Avenue, in New Delhi. (ANI Photo)

Addressing a press conference, Bhardwaj, who is the MLA from Greater Kailash, alleged that MCD officials are taking ₹10-15 lakh for each building in his constituency.

“Today we have a live audio recording of Anil Bajpai, BJP MLA from Gandhi Nagar Assembly constituency in conversation with a building department officer of the east MCD. They are talking about stopping the demolition of a building. Bajpai is asking the MCD engineer to stop his JE (junior engineer) from demolishing a particular building. When the engineer replies that the demolition took place on the complaint of the mayor, the MLA, exposing the Delhi BJP, pointed out that he has not demolished other illegal and unauthorised constructions under the mayor’s protection. This way, the BJP MLA has confessed about rampant corruption in MCD. He said the BJP-ruled MCD doesn’t demolish the buildings where it gets bribe. Dozens of such buildings were left untouched,” Bhardwaj said.

Meanwhile, Bajpai said he was just trying to help a poor family which was about to lose their home: “I did or said nothing wrong. If houses are being demolished, then every such unauthorised construction should also be demolished. Why selectively target the poor?”

EDMC mayor Shyam Sundar Agrawal too denied the allegations as “baseless”. “If this is the case I would request the AAP to show where it has happened and we will surely take action if anyone is found guilty. There are many wards under AAP councillors where people neither pay the taxes nor get their house maps approved. There are many 25-30-metre houses for which we have never received the drawings from owners to be approved by the civic body. I have even sent a suggestion for the new Master Plan in the making to make a provision for all houses to be built as per approved design,” said Agrawal.