Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Wednesday wrote to Lieutenant-Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena and demanded a CBI probe into the alleged toll tax scam of Rs 6,000 crore in the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD). The development comes a day after the AAP levelled allegations against the MCD that it colluded with two toll tax companies and caused  a huge loss to the public exchequer.

"I have written to the L-G demanding a CBI probe into the toll tax  scam of Rs 6,000 crore in the Municipal Corporation of Delhi. The money collected from 10 lakh commercial vehicles coming to Delhi everyday was embezzled in connivance," Sisodia said in a tweet.

"Drawing your attention towards a huge corruption in Delhi's Municipal corporation, I want to request you to get the CBI probe done into the matter and take strict action against those involved in the corruption.  This corruption has led to around Rs 6,000 crore of losses to the MCD," said Sisodia in the letter in Hindi.  Sisodia alleged corruption in the tax collected from the commercial vehicles entering the capital city. Sisodia has asked in the letter that this is a big scam that should immediately be probed by the CBI and strict action should be taken against those involved.

AAP's MCD in-charge and MLA Durgesh Pathak had on Tuesday alleged that there was a large-scale scam in toll tax collection and that it was caused by BJP leaders, who were then in power in MCD, in connivance with two private firms.He had said every day, 10 lakh commercial vehicles come to Delhi and tax was collected from those vehicles but it allegedly did not reach the MCD.

Refuting the allegations as baseless, it was clarified by the MCD that in 2017 the contract was awarded to a company named MEP Infrastructure Developers Limited for payment of Rs 1,200 crore per annum for a period of five years. After getting the contract, the company stated that it has suffered loss on account of opening of the Eastern Peripheral and Western Peripheral as well as the order of the Hon’ble Court to stop toll collection from the free lane.

The company instead sought compensation for the loss it alleged to have suffered. The MCD held several rounds of meetings to resolve the matter and on failure of the Company to make due payments, it terminated the contract.

The civic body also forfeited the security deposit of MEP Infrastructure Developers Limited. At present, MCD has initiated proceedings for attachment of properties of MEP Infrastructure Developers Limited.

The winding up of the company is pending in NCLAT. All legal steps have been initiated against the company and the matter is sub judice in the Delhi High Court as well as the Supreme Court. Reacting to Sisodia's allegations, Delhi BJP spokesperson Praveen Shankar Kapoor on Wednesday said there was no such scam in the MCD.

Kapoor clarified that after construction of Eastern-Western corridor in 2018, the commercial vehicles which crossed Delhi to go to other states have stopped coming in and as a result, Delhi's toll tax collection has dropped by around 70 per cent.

Due to this, the then toll tax collection contractor, who had taken annual contract at Rs 1,260 crores, suffered huge loss in collections. Contractor partially paid MCD and quit the work thereafter, he said.