The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Saturday slammed the BJP-led North Delhi Municipal Corporation (NMC) over “irregularity” in the construction of the Rani Jhansi flyover in Delhi. Presenting the audit report as prepared by the MCDs auditor, senior leader and MCD in-charge Durgesh Pathak said that the report has exposed a scam of Rs 546 crore in the flyover project which was completed in Rs 724 crore in 24 years.
Pathak said that on one hand, the Shastri Park flyover worth Rs 302 crore was constructed in Rs 250 crore in just 1.5 years under the AAP Government and on the other hand, the Rani Jhansi flyover worth Rs 175 crore was constructed in Rs 724 crore.
The AAP leader said that instead of acquiring the land for construction through a Government agency according to the rules, the BJP leaders did personal dealings with the people to spearhead corruption in the project. He also said that around Rs 10 crore were spent without any approval from any official or agency.
Addressing the media, he said “I want to thank some honest officials in the BJP-led MCD for realising and fulfilling their responsibility towards the people of Delhi and the constitution of the country. This led us to expose an extremely big issue of public importance. It took around 24 years to complete this flyover. The tender processes and the cost of the flyover project were fixed at Rs 175 crore. But the flyover was completed for Rs 724 crore, which means that the BJP leaders did corruption of around Rs 546 crore from this project.”
Listing out the objections as mentioned in the audit report, Pathak said, “First, when a Government construction takes place, there is a land-owning agency fixed by the state Government to acquire the land. Unfortunately, the land-owning agency of the Rani Jhansi project was not a government agency.”
In fact, the BJP leaders and the local engineers did a personal deal with every person. They created a new system and technique for owning every piece of land, which involved corruption by the BJP leaders, he said, adding that secondly, there was a religious place on one of these Government lands and this was acquired for Rs 26 crore that was given to a person named Abhishek Gupta. If this was government land, who is Abhishek Gupta and why has the money been given to him? Third, around Rs 10 crore were spent without any approval. No approvals were taken from any official or agency to spend this extra money.”
Respondind to AAP allegations, Delhi BJP spokesperson Praveen Shankar Kapoor said, “AAP leader Durgesh Pathak’s statement calling cost escalation of Rani Jhansi Road Flyover Project as a scam shows that he indulges only in manipulative politics to malign MCDs”.
Everybody knows due to court cases, compensation claims & other humanitarian reasons this flyover project started in 1998 was scheduled to complete by year 2000 got repeatedly stuck and got delayed by 20 years.
The two decade delay escalated the cost of construction from planned Rs 175 crore to ultimate Rs 724 crore. This is cost escalation due to reasons beyond North DMC’s control & not a scam and it will be better if Durgesh Pathak talks on facts instead of manipulations.
Similar cost escalation had taken place in Signature Bridge Project under Arvind Kejriwal’s government too and going by Durgesh Pathak’s statement it too should be considered as a case of corruption, Kapoor added.