After the trifurcation, the North Delhi Municipal Corporation’s first House meeting at the historic Town Hall in old city on Thursday was disrupted by allegations of corruption against the Mayor and the leader of Opposition. Even before the House assembled for meeting at 2 pm, Opposition Congress councillors held a sit-in at the portico of the building, demanding payment of pending old age pensions, claiming that nearly 80,000 pensioners have not been paid their monthly pensions by the municipal corporation for over an year.
The meeting began amid shouting of slogans and protests by the Opposition councillors of Congress and AAP who accused the Mayor Ravinder Gupta of “corruption” and “collusion” with building mafia responsible for illegal constructions in the municipal area.
During the meeting, BJP councillors produced a letter written allegedly by a Congress leader and ex-Delhi Minister Mangat Ram Singhal to the Mayor complaining against “unauthorised” construction in Ward No 13 in “connivance” with ward councillor.
leader of Opposition Mukesh Goel from Congress, who represents the ward, refuted the charge that he was involved in unauthorised construction and had taken Rs20 lakh for it as was charged.
Goel demanded a CBI enquiry into the allegations against him as well as his allegations against the Mayor, adding that the charge against him was aimed at “maligning” his image.
Amid continued shouting and sloganeering, the Mayor conducting the meeting adjourned it for ten minutes. Soon after it resumed, the Opposition councilors came before his chair. Faced with relentless noisy scenes, the Mayor announced end of the House meeting.
later, the Mayor told reporters that he was ready to face any enquiry against him while denying any connection with those involved in “unauthorised” constructions.
The general meeting of the NMC House was held at the nearly 150-year-old iconic Town Hall, headquarters of erstwhile unified Municipal Corporation of Delhi, as an initiative to showcase its significance and chequered history although Opposition councilors had termed the move by the Mayor as an “extravagant” step by the financially-ill civic body.