NEW DELHI: A "newly-built" mohalla clinic of the AAP government in Karol Bagh was allegedly demolished by the BJP-led NDMC on Thursday, prompting a sharp reaction from Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.
The action by the North Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC) comes ahead of the Lok Sabha polls in Delhi on May 12.
North Delhi Mayor Adesh Gupta claimed that the action was taken as the clinic at Har Dayal Singh Road in Karol Bagh area was being set-up "without any NOC (no-objection certificate)".
Expressing his displeasure, Kejriwal tweeted, "People shud remember this when they go out to vote in Delhi. Del govt constructed this mohalla clinic. BJP led MCD demolished it today (sic)."
He also shared the tweet of a senior government official who had also posted pictures of the damaged clinic.
"Shamefully criminal & blatantly illegal : North MCD demolishes a newly constructed Mohalla Clinic at Har Dayal Singh Road, Karol Bagh on a PWD Road. North MCD had no jurisdiction, no notice given & a primary health public facility destroyed for no reason," the official tweeted.
Countering the allegations, Gupta claimed that once the AAP government had also tried to set up a mohalla clinic at a park in his ward.
Another senior Delhi government official said a complaint has been registered by the city government's PWD at Prasad Nagar police station.
"We have registered a complaint against the NDMC for demolishing a mohalla clinic without prior permission from PWD. We have demanded an action in the matter," he said.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central) Mandeep Singh Randhawa confirmed that they have received a complaint in this regard. However, no case has been registered.
Delhi BJP spokesperson Praveen Shankar Kapoor charged the chief minister of levelling "baseless" allegations in the matter.
"The mohalla clinic was being constructed on the road causing problems to the locals. A no objection certificate should be sought from the Traffic Police and the municipal corporation before construction of a mohalla clinic on any road," Kapoor said.
As many as 1,000 mohalla clinics are planned to be established in the city and nearly 200 such facilities have already been built.
A typical mohalla clinic has a doctor, a midwife-cum-nurse, and an array of diagnostic services and essential medicines are provided free of cost to patients there.