Panel report exposes flagrant corruption in MCDS, says AAP

NEW DELHI: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Tuesday alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party (Bjp)-ruled municipal corporations in Delhi have been unable to collect penalties from defaulters of property tax due to rampant corruption.

It also alleged that the civic bodies misappropriated crores of rupees in connivance with a private company in the name of waste management.

The BJP refuted both the allegations. Citing a report by the Supreme Court-appointed monitoring committee which said that if the MCDS collected property tax dues and penalties efficiently, it would not have gone bankrupt, AAP’S MCD in-charge Durgesh Pathak said, “The Bjpruled South Delhi Municipal Corporation has been able to collect only 5% penalties because of flagrant corruption by its councillors. Thanks to the BJP’S incessant misgovernance and incompetence, the MCD now stands for ‘Most Corrupt Department’ and I believe, this title has been proved in the report submitted by the monitoring committee set up by the Supreme Court,” he said.

Delhi BJP spokesperson Praveen Shankar Kapoor said the AAP was backing a report by the sealing panel whose actions were strongly opposed by the traders. “During last few years the monitoring committee has sealed thousands of properties alleging misuse and imposed hundreds of crores of rupees penalties and has been pressuring MCDS to recover the amounts and demolish properties. MCDS have rather been sensitive towards traders,” he said.

In another press conference, AAP senior leader and MLA Atishi said the Bjp-ruled East MCD “gobbled” money in the name of waste management. “It scammed crores in connivance with a private company and is now asking the Kejriwal Government for funds.