Mayor removes MCD official on graft allegations

Delhi Mayor Shelly Oberoi has ordered the removal of an MCD official facing corruption charges and sought a probe into the allegations.

Expressing concern over the gravity of the situation, the mayor issued a note to the commissioner directing prompt action against MCD’s chief assessor and collector Kunal Kashyap in an alleged case of bribery in house tax evasion.

The commissioner has been directed to withdraw all responsibilities from Kunal Kashyap and appoint an officer of ‘impeccable integrity’ in his place.

The mayor’s office had received a complaint regarding the property of a very influential person in Sector-9, Rama Krishna Puram, New Delhi and subsequent allegations of the officer’s alleged involvement in corrupt practices. As per the complaints, Kashyap purportedly provided undue favours to the said influential person in a case of house tax evasion to the tune of `4 crore.

Ordering action against the officer, Ms Oberoi highlighted that there is no scope for corrupt practices in the reformed MCD administration under the AAP government.

“MCD is struggling to keep afloat financially and has no funds to do public welfare work. On the other hand, such officers are foregoing huge amounts of house tax by taking bribes. Such officers should know that now the regime has changed in MCD,” she noted.

Kunal Kashyap is now under investigation for allegedly ‘deliberately delaying the handling of the tax evasion case’, fueled by allegations of bribery, said a statement from the mayor office.