MCD official suspended for graft

An MCD official has been suspended and a through inquiry ordered into a case relating to alleged "inflated payment" made for earth filling during Commonwealth Games 2010, the North Delhi Municipal Corporation Commissioner said today.
"During a routine audit, it was found that an excess amount of Rs 3.92 crore and Rs 3.18 crore had been paid for earth filling at two railway under bridges at Swaran Park and Roshanara respectively," Commissioner P K Gupta said at a meeting of NDMC House.
"When the audit discovered the issue, the official on duty Rajesh Khanna was immediately suspended and a vigilance enquiry has been initiated to find out all those responsible," Gupta said. When asked about the amount paid, the Commissioner said efforts are on to recover the additional payments.

He said the contractor had not been paid the entire amount and there were payments for other projects to be made too. "We are recovering the money and the necessary proceedings are on," Gupta added.
Earlier in the day, the civic body witnessed chaotic scenes over the alleged manhandling of two junior engineers by two separate councillors in a space of a fortnight.
Leader of the Opposition Mukesh Goel today raised the issue in the House, demanding to know the details of the reported incident where councillor and Works Committee Chairman Ravinder Gupta allegedly manhandled a junior engineer in Karol Bagh zone on Saturday.

"BJP is trying to shield its councillor by not raising the issue in the House," he said. Replying to his query, Commissioner Gupta said he was still waiting for the full report on the matter.

Giving his clarification, the works committee chairman who was present in the House, however, said no manhandling had taken place. "I was not satisfied with road construction in a lane and scolded the JE," he said.
Meanwhile, congress councillor Aleem Mohammad - who was last week named in an FIR for allegedly manhandling a JE and other officials in city zone area over demolishing unauthorised construction - also pleaded his innocence.

"There was no fight, no manhandling. I have no complaints with the engineers in my area. All I have been requesting them is to be considerate while removing constructions by poor people," he said.