BJP National Spokesperson Jaiveer Shergill has urged the Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal to order a CBI inquiry into the “misappropriation” of the Central funds, sent to the Jalandhar Municipal Corporation for the Smart City Project. In a statement issued here today, Shergill stated that a “whopping” Rs 1000 crore grant was sent by the Union Government to the Jalandhar MC through the Punjab Government but in connivance, certain MC officials, contractors and politicians indulged in huge embezzlement of these funds. “Inquiry by the CBI can only punish the guilty involved in this mega corruption scam”, he asserted.
Elaborating on the matter, Shergill said that to provide better civic facilities including clean water, proper roads, good street lights and a proper sewerage system besides bringing a permanent end to the problem of garbage, under the Smart City Project, the Union Government had provided a grant of Rs 1000 crores to Jalandhar MC. “But in connivance with the MC officials and leaders of political parties, the contractors, while assuring that the best quality material will be used in the Smart City projects, quoted “high rates” in the tenders.
However, after the tenders were awarded, the contractors used extremely “poor quality” material in these projects and illegitimately made huge money in connivance with MC officials and politicians. This is a clear case of embezzlement of Central Government funds. Furthermore, all the tenders of this project were given by politicians in collusion with MC officials to favoured contractors and their family members by floating companies in their names, which points towards a mega corruption scam”, he added.
BJP Spokesperson said that it was astonishing that leaders of the AAP government keep reiterating that they will adopt a zero-tolerance policy against corruption and legal action will be initiated against the corruption done by the leaders of the previous Congress government in Punjab but nothing has been done to punish the culprits in the Jalandhar Smart City Project funds corruption scam.
“It is amply clear that the leaders of Congress and AAP, Jalandhar MC officials, contractors, and some retired civic officials, who were unlawfully deputed for the Smart City Project, were hand-in-glove in the entire scam”, he added. Substantiating his claims, the BJP leader said, “Even though the Vigilance Department of Punjab Government had seized about 64 files of different projects of Jalandhar Municipal Corporation in the last two years, none of the accused in the Jalandhar Smart City Project mega corruption scam has either been arrested or booked under the relevant law, which clearly shows that there is nexus between the accused of this mega corruption scam and AAP government.”
Shergill also said that the Local Government Minister of Punjab is a resident of Jalandhar and used to make tall claims against corruption but now he is mum on such a big issue. “Notably, to make the previous Congress government and current AAP dispensation aware about the corruption prevalent in the Jalandhar MC, even the media had highlighted the issue at regular intervals but to no avail”, Shergill pointed out, adding that even the said issue was also raised in the Jalandhar MC House.
“In wake of the above-mentioned points, it is my humble request to Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal to order a CBI inquiry into the mega corruption scam so that culprits can be punished and every penny of Central Funds is utilized for corruption-free sustainable development”, concluded Shergill.