JOIN USThe Delhi Congress has sought a probe by the Central Vigilance Commission into alleged corruption in leasing premises for 105 mohalla clinics from “AAP supporters” on inflated rents adding up to Rs 2 core a year.
Delhi Congress chief Ajay Maken wrote to the CVC on Wednesday alleging that that to extend pecuniary advantage to the members of the ruling party the AAP government blatantly violated the CVC guidelines.
While setting up mohalla clinics at multiple locations, owned by members and office bearers of the AAP, the government has not only extended undue and illegal consideration to the AAP members but also permitted use of dilapidated and unhygienic premises for the purpose, he said.
“After being found guilty of large-scale misuse of public funds for party advertisements, this is another classic case wherein Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, in association with Health Minister Satyender Jain and others, have deliberately violated the CVC guidelines and indulged into corrupt or illegal means in order to benefit ruling party members at the cost of taxpayers’ money. The annual expenditure on rent of these 105 mohalla clinics is almost Rs 2 crore,” wrote Maken.
On the basis of findings of a city-wide survey conducted by the Congress, Maken alleged the Delhi government by-passed the tender process in the mohalla clinic pilot project and shunned the obligation to ascertain the market rate while renting the multiple premises.
“The intention was to convey illegal monetary gain to members of the ruling party through the said project,” he wrote.
“Our findings have confirmed that not only many clinics are operated in unsuitable premises owned by AAP members, but in absence of any transparent process of acquiring premises for mohalla clinics on lease/rent, large number of such accommodations have been leased at ‘inflated rents’,” he said.