New Delhi: A day after an under-construction building collapsed in the Kashmere Gate area, injuring eight workers, the Aam Aadmi Party on Tuesday said it will lodge a police complaint against the Delhi BJP chief, North Delhi mayor and others alleging the construction permit given under the civic body's Saral Scheme was "illegal".
Addressing a press conference at the party headquarters, Aam Aadmi Party leader Durgesh Pathak said a property measuring 50-100 sq yards is entitled to get its construction plans approved under the Saral Scheme.
But in the case of the three-storey building that collapsed on Monday, the North Delhi Municipal Corporation approved the construction under the scheme even though the total area of the property exceeded the limit, he claimed.
"It's a criminal act as the total area of the property, approved by the North MCD, was 180 sq yards," Pathak claimed. He demanded a thorough investigation and the strictest punishment for the guilty.
"We will file an FIR against the (BJP) councillor, Mayor and BJP president (Adesh Gupta). We will demand the strictest action against them," he said. Three workers were injured after the under-construction building collapsed in the Kashmere Gate area in central Delhi on Monday. Five workers were rescued safely.
The AAP leader alleged that the construction plan of the building could not have been passed without the "knowledge and involvement" of the Delhi BJP leaders and North Delhi Municipal Corporation mayor.
Pathak said AAP MLA Prahlad Singh Sawhney had written to the civic body's mayor commissioner and "all other authorities concerned" on December 21, saying the construction project was "completely illegal" and action should be taken against it.
"He also sent a WhatsApp message to the commissioner on December 8 and December 9. Sawhney wrote two more letters, one on February 8 and another on February 9... Why didn't they take any action? It's because they had taken a bribe," he alleged.
AAP MLA Sawhney also wrote to Delhi LG Anil Baijal on February 9 with "facts and figures", cautioning that the building being constructed poses a threat to the lives of the people, Pathak said.
Significantly, while saying that the building was sanctioned for an area of 87 sqm, the North MCD had said that it was approved under its Saral Scheme. Roughly this area translates to around 104.4 sq yards, still over the 50-100 sq yards limit Pathak
spoke of.
Moreover, Leader of Opposition in the North MCD, AAP's Vikas Goel alleged that the North MCD had, on paper, "shown the area to be 85 sq yards" while "in reality, the building is being constructed over a plot of land measuring 180 sq yards".
Goel added, "I am certain that once this matter is investigated the links of the builder with the BJP leaders will be exposed."