AAP and BJP trade charges over licence given to Mundka building
HT Correspondent
NEW DELHI: The political slugfest between Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over Friday’s Mundka building fire intensified on Tuesday with AAP leader Atishi accusing the North Delhi Municipal Corporation of issuing a licence to building owner Manish Lakra in 2016 for carrying out commercial activities, despite the building being located in a non-conforming area. This made the BJP, which runs the North corporation, responsible for 27 deaths from the fire, the AAP leader alleged, even as she demanded a probe into the role of the North corporation in issuing the licence.
“The Mundka building is a prime example of the municipal corporation’s blatant misgovernance and corruption. We have documents that prove that the Bjp-ruled North MCD permitted commercial activities from the building in Mundka even when no commercial businesses can be run in the Lal Dora Extension (non-conforming area). How did the BJP issue this licence to Manish Lakra when it was illegal to do so? The answer is clear: the BJP only has two goals -- extortion and to protect and support criminals...,” Atishi said at a press conference on Tuesday.
She further said that all around Delhi, BJP councillors are promoting unauthorised building constructions and issuing illegal licences.
The AAP MLA claimed that Lakra is associated with BJP leaders. “There is photographic evidence to show that Manish Lakra, the owner of the building which caught fire in Mundka, is a BJP leader,” Atishi said.
Delhi BJP spokesperson Praveen Shankar Kapoor rejected Atishi’s charges and said,“the building owner misused an online scheme for self verification, which was started in 2016, and obtained a licence (in 2016). The permission for running commercial activities was revoked by the corporation within a few months...,” Kapoor said.
Kapoor pointed out that Mundka has an AAP councillor since 2017. “... (Atishi) should tell us what steps AAP Mundka councillor has taken over the past five years to check unauthorised activities...,” Kapoor said.