ACB raids Delhi govt office over scam complaint in dismantling of BRT stretch

NEW DELHI: The anti-corruption branch (ACB) on Wednesday began probing alleged irregularities in dismantling of the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) corridor by collecting

NEW DELHI: The anti-corruption branch (ACB) on Wednesday began probing alleged irregularities in dismantling of the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) corridor by collecting documents from government office concerned.

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Sources said three ACB officers had gone to the PWD office at ITO.

The Delhi government accused the Centre, which oversees the ACB, of going after it by raiding its offices.

ACB chief MK Meena denied the charges and said his officers visited the offices to collect documents related to the complaint.

Though an FIR is yet to be registered, the ACB is probing the case on a complaint filed by city advocate Vivek Garg and BJP MLA OP Sharma. The complainants alleged that ‘the PWD minister, officers and contractors had conspired to misappropriate the hard earned public money.’

In their joint complaint, the duo alleged the Delhi cabinet allotted Rs 10.97 crore to be paid to a contractor to dismantle the BRT corridor between Ambedkar Nagar and Moolchand.

The complaint said the government did not collect money from the contractor in exchange for the materials that were removed.

“Huge quantities of steel, iron and other stuff/metals costing crores were removed and taken by the contractor. The contractor was supposed to pay the PWD for getting these metals and other materials,” the complaint said.

The two alleged that “the nexus of ‘politicians/officers/ contractors managed to make crores by taking the materials”, as well as paid the contractors Rs 10.97 crore, “causing a loss to the exchequer”.

However, Delhi government and AAP leaders said the tender for the project was for Rs 3.96 crore.

“I was the first one to put a hammer to the ill-conceived BRT project, on the demand of the people. We are ready to go to jail for fulfilling the promises made to the people of Delhi..,” deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia tweeted.

PWD minister Satyendar Jain had on Tuesday denied the allegations and said bus stops made of steel would remain and that there was no steel waste in the demolition.