Chandigarh: Vigilance to probe ₹100-crore community centre booking scam
This comes nearly a month after the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) had alleged large-scale irregularities in the exemption-based booking system meant for economically weaker sections (EWS).
Families below the poverty line (BPL) can book community centres for weddings free of cost, provided they are recommended by their area councillor. It is the councillor's responsibility to verify the financial condition of the applicant before recommending such a concession.
AAP leaders had claimed that there was a nexus of middlemen, who with the help of fake councillor endorsements and municipal staff, were manipulating the booking process to illegally charge poor families between ₹ 26,000 and ₹ 55,000 per booking.
AAP spokesperson and city councillor Yogesh Dhingra, while raising the issue, had alleged: 'Middlemen take money from poor people but get the bookings done for free of cost. We demand a complete record of all community centre bookings for the last five years; details of each booking: name, date, purpose, and fees; all files where councillor recommendations or approvals are attached; forensic investigation report on forged signatures and stamps; file movement trail and internal notings of the booking branch; and identification of guilty officials.'
Stating that the local government department has formally written to the vigilance department, requesting a thorough probe, the MC chief said, 'The entire booking record, including the role of councillors in verifying these cases, will be probed.'
Booking branch staff shifted
After the AAP leaders' claims, mayor Harpreet Kaur Babla had asked the municipal commissioner to initiate a formal vigilance inquiry and transferred all staff working in the MC booking branch. In a preliminary report tabled by MC officials, it was revealed that a majority of free bookings between January 1, 2024, and May 31, 2025, came from wards represented by councillors Neha (AAP), Kuldeep Kumar Dhalor (AAP), Suman Devi (AAP), Ram Chander Yadav (AAP), Harpreet Kaur (BJP) and Kanwarjeet Singh (BJP), among others.
Responding to the scrutiny, former mayor and AAP councillor Dhalor defended the councillors' actions. 'Most of these bookings are from areas dominated by EWS populations such as colonies and villages. Recommendations were made only after due verification. We welcome the inquiry,' he said.
'New booking policy deferred again'
Meanwhile, the MC House has again deferred the much-delayed proposal for a new community centre booking policy, which has been pending since December 2024. The proposal seeks to revise booking charges and standardise exemptions. If approved, Category A centres—currently priced at ₹ 44,000—will see a 36% hike to ₹ 60,000. Category B centres will jump from ₹ 22,000 to ₹ 40,000, and Category C centres, which previously ranged from ₹ 5,000 to ₹ 22,000, will cost between ₹ 15,000 and ₹ 30,000.
The original proposal also recommended eliminating free bookings for any purpose, including marriages and religious ceremonies, arguing that even subsidised users should pay at least 50% of the cost due to mounting maintenance expenses. However, this was rejected by the MC's committee. The revised proposal now retains exemptions for marriages of BPL families, medical and blood donation camps, UT/MC official events, and meetings held by RWAs, senior citizens' groups, and pensioners' associations.
HOUSE AGENDAS
Approved: The House approved the auction of over 7.5 acres across five plots in Pocket Number 6 of Manimajra, paving the way for a multi-storey group housing society. The cumulative reserve price for plots crosses ₹ 794 crore. As per the plan, the land can be allotted either jointly to a consortium or to a single developer.
Deferred: The House deferred the proposal to finalise the new terms and conditions to hire a private firm for GIS-based mechanised and manual sweeping in Southern sectors. The firm, M/s Lion Services Ltd, that currently has the contract for the job has got a three-month extension.
Rejected: The House rejected former mayor Anup Gupta's appeal to restart the allotment process for the city's much-needed horticulture waste plan. Gupta had in May alleged that MC bypassed proper tendering procedures and unlawfully nominated M/s Hardicon Limited, a PSU, for the job without issuing any expression of interest or request for proposal. Following this, MC tabled a fresh request for proposal in the House on Monday, detailing terms and conditions for re-tendering. However, city councillors resolved to continue the hiring of PSU for the role. Demanding 'open auction', Gupta, supported by another BJP councillor Kanwarjeet Rana, added their dissent for the project and its allotment.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Indian Express
13 minutes ago
- Indian Express
Only man in fray, Bindal re-elected as Himachal BJP chief for 3rd term
Dr Rajiv Bindal was on Tuesday elected unopposed as the Himachal Pradesh BJP chief for a third term Tuesday. In the elections held Monday, Bindal was the only party leader to file nomination papers for the post. Formally declaring the results, Union minister Jitendra Singh took a swipe at the Congress. 'In their party, leadership decisions are made in kitchens and over dining tables. In contrast, the BJP follows democratic principles where even an ordinary worker can rise to the top,' Jitendra Singh said. Bindal's reappointment as state unit chief for a third term 'reflects the confidence of the organization in his leadership and ability to strengthen the party at the grassroots,' he added. Hamirpur MP and former Union Minister Anurag Thakur said Bindal's appointment would energize the party. He claimed that if elections were held today, Congress wouldn't win even eight seats in state. He also slammed the Congress government for administrative collapse and internal conflict. Leader of Opposition Jai Ram Thakur too criticised the Congress for failing to appoint office-bearers for nine months and for stalling development in the state. BJP state in-charge Srikant Sharma said the party now has 18 lakh members in Himachal and is committed to making every booth strong under the 'Mera Booth Sabse Mazboot' campaign. Bindal, on assuming the office, called on the party workers to work dedicatedly to oust the 'corrupt and untruthful government'. 'I will work 24×7 with the motto of nation first as the next two years are very challenging,' he said urging workers to pledge unity and rise above personal interests. His mission, Bindal said, is to ensure that 'lotus' blooms in Himachal Pradesh again. He said that due to their commitment to the welfare of people former BJP chief ministers Shanta Kumar, Prem Kumar Dhumal and Jai Ram Thakur are remembered as 'Paniwala, Sadakwala and Sewawala' chief ministers. Bindal said the party had led in 61 out of 68 Assembly segments in the recent Lok Sabha polls. He also highlighted the party's organisational achievements, including enrolling 47,000 active members, increasing the number of mandals from 74 to 171, and constituting committees in 7,775 of the 8,009 polling booths in the state. Bindal remained an MLA from 2002 to 2022, serving five terms. He was thrice elected from Solan and twice from Nahan. He served as the health minister in the Prem Kumar Dhumal-led government from 2007 to 2012. He was unanimously elected as the Speaker of the 13th Vidhan Sabha In January 2018, and held the post till January 2020. He also had a brief stint as the state BJP chief before being reappointed in April 2023. Meanwhile, former minister Govind Thakur and party general secretaries Bihari Lal Sharma, Trilok Kapoor, Pawan Kajal, Rashmi Dhar Sood, Payal Vaidya, Rajiv Saizal and Sanjeev Katwal were elected as national council members. Jai Ram Thakur; Anurag Thakur; Lok Sabha members Suresh Kashyap, Kangana Ranaut and Rajiv Bharadwaj; and Rajya Sabha members Indu Goswami, Sikender Kumar and Harsh Mahajan were elected as ex-officio members of the national council.
Indian Express
13 minutes ago
- Indian Express
Now, Vigilance takes Majithia to his office; Ganieve stopped from entering
The Punjab Vigilance Bureau Tuesday took Shiromani Akali Dal leader Bikram Singh Majithia to his office in Amritsar's Majitha Tuesday in connection with a disproportionate assets case registered against the former minister. A heavy police force was deployed near Majithia's office with barricades raised to prevent his party's supporters from reaching there. The vigilance bureau team remained for over an hour at the office. Majithia's wife Ganieve Kaur, an Akali MLA from the Majitha seat, and her supporters were stopped from heading towards the office even before the vigilance bureau officials reached there. She could be seen arguing with police officials, saying the vigilance bureau team could undertake a search operation in the office, but 'I should be allowed to go'. 'I am an elected MLA. I have come here with my lawyer. All others will stay outside. Our entire property has already been investigated. I have no weapon. I will sit in my office. I am not going to break any law,' Kaur said and asked police officials for any written order that bars her from going to the office. She lashed out at the AAP government, accusing it of targeting her husband for 'exposing' its 'failures'. A day earlier, the vigilance bureau took Majithia to Himachal Pradesh for verification of property allegedly linked to his family. The Punjab Vigilance Bureau arrested Majithia, the brother-in-law of Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal, on June 25 over money laundering allegations involving Rs 540 crore of 'drug money'. He was sent to a seven-day vigilance bureau remand on June 26. Meanwhile, the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has also expressed interest in questioning Majithia. An NCB official has contacted the Vigilance Bureau, claiming that the case involves NDPS Act violations. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), however, has raised questions about the timing and intent of the NCB's intervention. Majithia moves HC, calls FIR against him 'political witch-hunting' Majithia Tuesday moved the Punjab and Haryana High Court challenging the disproportionate assets case filed against him by the Punjab Vigilance Bureau and termed it 'political witch-hunting' for criticising the AAP dispensation. In a petition filed through his counsel, Arshdeep Singh Cheema and Sartej Singh Narula, Majithia sought appropriate relief against the 'illegal' arrest and subsequent remand granted in the FIR registered under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988. 'The FIR is a result of political witch-hunting and vendetta, initiated by the present political dispensation with the sole object of maligning and harassing the petitioner who has been a vocal critic and political opponent,' read the petition. The petitioner submitted that the FIR registered against him is 'patently illegal' while his arrest was carried out in 'gross violation of settled legal procedures'. The petitioner was kept in illegal custody for over two hours prior to his official arrest at 11.20 am, read the petition. 'The remand application filed by the investigating agency lacked any concrete or urgent investigative ground and merely relied on broad, speculative allegations such as the petitioner's alleged influence, foreign connections, and general statements about the need to confront him with documents or digital devices,' it said. 'These assertions clearly reflect a motive to extract a confession or admission from the petitioner, in violation of the protection guaranteed under Article 20(3) of the Constitution of India,' said the plea. The petitioner submitted that the Supreme Court, by its detailed order on March 4, had refused custodial interrogation of the petitioner despite the same allegations being pressed before it via multiple affidavits filed by the Punjab government. 'The Hon'ble Court had instead directed the petitioner to cooperate with the SIT and join the investigation, which was fully complied with. Despite the petitioner's cooperation and the findings of the apex court, the state has once again resorted to seeking police custody by concealing material facts and misrepresenting urgency before the magistrate,' read the plea. The present petition, therefore, raises important questions of law and principle concerning abuse of criminal process, misuse of remand powers, and the right to fair investigation and liberty, it stated. Majithia prayed for appropriate reliefs, including quashing of the 'illegal' remand order and appropriate directions to prevent further 'abuse' of process. This FIR against Majithia stems from an ongoing investigation being conducted by a Punjab Police special investigation team into the 2021 drug case in which the Shiromani Akali Dal leader was booked under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. The action was taken on the basis of a 2018 report of the anti-drug Special Task Force. Majithia spent more than five months in Patiala jail and walked out of prison in August 2022 after the Punjab and Haryana High Court granted him bail.
New Indian Express
30 minutes ago
- New Indian Express
Union minister Athawale bats for caste-based job quota in private sector
RAIPUR: Union Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment Ramdas Athawale has pitched for caste-based job quota in the private sector, saying several government-run enterprises are being privatised. Talking to reporters in Raipur on Tuesday, the Republican Party of India (A) president, who is aligned with the BJP, hailed the Narendra Modi government's decision to include caste enumeration in the upcoming population census, calling it a "historic" move. To a query on reservation for the underprivileged and backward communities in the private sector, the minister said he has been demanding such a measure since a long time. "It has been our long-standing demand. Ram Vilas Paswan (former Union minister and Dalit leader from Bihar), Udit Raj (Congress leader who was earlier in BJP), and myself had demanded that reservation be given in the private sector," Athawale emphasised. "Now government enterprises are being privatised. Balco company in Chhattisgarh was also privatised. There is no reservation in the private sector. We are giving reservation to Scheduled Castes/Tribes, OBC and economically weaker sections (in government jobs). Though I am in the government, my party's demand is that quota be implemented in the private sector as well," he said.
