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Delhi govt to hold special probe into renting of trommel machines by civic body
Addressing a press conference, AAP chief spokesperson Saurabh Bhardwaj said the BJP-ruled North Delhi Municipal Corporation is set to pay a yearly rent of ₹2.20 crore for trommel machines that can be bought for ₹17.70 lakh each.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Wednesday said the Delhi government will conduct a special investigation into the alleged corruption by the municipal corporations in getting trommel machines for cleaning the city’s main landfill sites in Bhalswa and Ghazipur.
Addressing a press conference, AAP chief spokesperson Saurabh Bhardwaj said the BJP-ruled North Delhi Municipal Corporation is set to pay a yearly rent of ₹2.20 crore for trommel machines that can be bought for ₹17.70 lakh each. The proposal to rent these machines was passed by the standing committee on Tuesday, he said, adding that the AAP will file a complaint before the Delhi government to conduct a special audit under the Delhi Municipal Corporation (Amendment) Act, 2011.
A trommel machine is a cylindrical apparatus for cleaning and segregating waste for further remediation. Currently 23 trommel machines are being used by the corporation at the landfill sites.
“The BJP-ruled municipal corporations have accepted that they will now rent this machines at a rate that is three times higher than their present rent. The north corporation standing committee president Jogi Ram Jain lied that these machines are not on rent. But, if you read the standing committee’s agenda, it clearly states that these machines are on rent,” said Bhardwaj.
“Earlier, the monthly rent of each trommel machine was ₹6.30 lakh and even then, questions were raised by their own auditor about the amount and how it was too high. Now, as per the new contract that was revealed on Tuesday, the rent which the corporation is ready to pay for these machines has been increased from ₹6.30 lakh to ₹18.36 lakh, which is three times more. Yesterday (Tuesday), during the standing committee meeting, our councillors protested outside its office and staged a sit-in protest demanding an inquiry,” the AAP leader said.
The Delhi BJP rejected the AAP’s allegations and said the company which has been given the contract to operate these trommel machines have been asked to run them round-the-clock in three shifts. “The company handling the machines will operate them round the clock to dispose of the garbage. The company will also bring in its own loaders and trucks to remove the sand generated by the trommel machines. The AAP may order any inquiry, but nothing wrong will be found as the trommel contract is fully transparent,” said Delhi BJP spokesperson Praveen Shankar Kapoor.
“The AAP is frustrated due to the L-G’s indication of a CBI inquiry in the DTC bus maintenance scam and strong allegations against the Delhi Jal Board over irregularities. As a political retaliation, AAP is trying to level false allegations on the north corporation,” he said.
