NEW DELHI: Aam Aadmi Party councillors on Wednesday staged a protest at the Mayor’s office in the Civic Centre, alleging a nexus between the construction mafia and Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) employees in the Karol Bagh zone.
MCD officials and AAP councillors have been at odds since Sunday after the latter began an indefinite protest at the Karol Bagh zonal office demanding the suspension of employees who are “stalling projects and involved in corruption”.
Zonal officials denied the charges and started their own protest the next day, accusing the councillors of unruly behaviour and meddling with their work.
The tiff started after Mayor Shelly Oberoi had last week written to Zonal Deputy Commissioners, asking them to not take any action in their zones unless the councillors receive a written letter or complaint on the matter.
In a statement on Wednesday, AAP said its councillors received complaints from several buildings in Karol Bagh about “extortion demands” made by MCD employees “in connivance with the construction mafia”.
According to the councillors, the matter came to light after AAP came to power in the corporation and started supervising MCD officials, unlike during the Bharatiya Janata Party’s rule. They alleged that BJP councillors used to send money to the officials regularly to prevent any action from being taken on these issues.
‘BJP corporators sent money to MCD officials’
The councillors said that there were complaints of extortion, which has been going on in connivance with the building mafia and MCD employees and alleged that BJP corporators used to send money to MCD officials from time to time.