BJP, Congress demand probe into audio sting

CHANDIGARH: The ruling BJP and the opposition Congress have demanded an independent inquiry into the audio sting allegedly involving the Office on Special Duty (OSD) of the Municipal Corporation, who is purportedly heard advising the Selvel Media director how to escape Rs 26 crore advertisement fee and penalty by offering money to senior officers.

Sandeep Rana
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, December 18

The ruling BJP and the opposition Congress have demanded an independent inquiry into the audio sting allegedly involving the Office on Special Duty (OSD) of the Municipal Corporation, who is purportedly heard advising the Selvel Media director how to escape Rs 26 crore advertisement fee and penalty by offering money to senior officers.

Taking cognisance of the Chandigarh Tribune report on the sting, city Congress president Pradeep Chhabra said, “The MC Commissioner should mark an independent inquiry into the incident. Such things don’t remain hidden for long. Why have officials been sitting silent for three months?”

He alleged that during the BJP’s rule, only crime and corruption were witnessed.

Former MP and senior Congress leader Pawan Kumar Bansal said, “It is a very serious matter. The UT Administration and the MC must get it probed so that people come to know the truth.”

Former Mayor and senior Congress leader Subhash Chawla commented, “Such audio clips had been surfacing ever since the BJP come to power in the MC. It is against the BJP’s slogan ‘corruption-free India’. At the ground level, results are different.”

City BJP president Sanjay Tandon said, “If any such case is reported, there should be an inquiry and those found guilty should be punished irrespective of the party they belong to. In this particular case, I want to ask the Congress, did they take responsibility of all MC officials during the ten years when they were at the helm of civic body affairs.”

Mayor Davesh Moudgil of the BJP claimed he did not receive any compliant and would mark a probe when given to it.

In the recording done by an unidentified person, OSD Surender Kumar Sharma is purportedly heard telling Selvel director Bishwadeep Dutta, an accused in a CBI case pertaining to a tender, to pay around Rs 20 lakh for the job. In the recording, it is also heard that if MC Commissioner KK Yadav is with Dutta, then all (penalty and fee) can be waived.

The firm is required to pay the amount on account of unpaid fee for advertisements it displayed on toilets set up by it. The matter is also in the Punjab and Haryana High Court.

In a complaint to the UT Administrator in September this year, the complainant had sent a copy of the audio. A similar complaint was sent to Yadav at his camp office through a registered post on August 20. However, the MC Commissioner claimed he had not received any audio.

The vigilance department has already started the process of calling the complainant along with evidence.