Close X
Thursday, November 14, 2024
ADVT 
India

Chandigarh's Public Toilets in Corruption Stink

Jaideep Sarin IANS, 06 May, 2014 12:02 PM
  • Chandigarh's Public Toilets in Corruption Stink
Built for the convenience of residents of this city, public toilets in Chandigarh are now raising a stink of a different kind.
 
The allotment of tenders for maintenance and advertising of these public toilets is now raising a multi-crore stink, with the city's civic body and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probing the whole affair. 
 
The CBI, after registering a preliminary enquiry recently, is probing the alleged involvement of officers of the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation's public health wing in the allotment of these toilets to a private company, Selvel Media Private Limited. The officers have been accused of causing a loss of Rs.17 crore to the exchequer in the allotment of the toilets contract by tweaking allotment conditions to favour the company.
 
The company was originally allotted the tender for maintenance and advertising of these 86 toilet blocks from 2007 to 2012. The tender was later extended till 2013.
 
The municipal corporation house, which is led by the Congress, earlier this year allotted the tender to the same company under controversial circumstances even though the corporation's engineering wing had cancelled it a few days back. The company's tender ended March 31.
 
The toilets, which are strategically located in markets and other public places, generate a lot of advertising revenue annually.
The company that gets the maintenance contract sells the advertising space on the outer walls of these toilets.
 
Advertising is strictly controlled in Chandigarh by the city's rules. The municipal corporation allowed advertising on the toilet blocks in violation of the provisions allowed by the Chandigarh administration.
 
 
Following the controversy, the municipal corporation has got the advertising boards from the toilet blocks removed over the past few days.
 
"The tender will be allotted again after following proper procedure," a senior municipal corporation official told IANS here.
 
Sources in the CBI said the probe is being made regarding the allotment and maintenance fee approval of the toilets.
 
The CBI is looking at the allotment of toilets since 2000 and the fee charged earlier.
 
"The municipal corporation house was led by the BJP when the tender was allotted in 2007. The names of councillors involved in the allotment at that time should be revealed," Congress councillors Subhash Chawla, Pradeep Chhabra and others demanded recently.
 
"It is a shame that there was corruption even in the allotment of maintenance of toilets. With this scam, the maintenance of the toilets will be affected and the public will suffer. The concerned officers should be punished," Gaurav Walia, a trader, told IANS.

MORE India ARTICLES

'Mother-son' government on its way out, says Modi

'Mother-son' government on its way out, says Modi
BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi Friday accused the Congress of bringing devastation to the country, and said voters have ensured that the "mother-son" government is on its way out.

'Mother-son' government on its way out, says Modi

TV anchor Amrita Rai files hacking complaint

TV anchor Amrita Rai files hacking complaint
A day after her intimate photographs with Congress leader Digvijaya Singh appeared on a social networking site, TV anchor Amrita Rai Thursday lodged a police complaint, saying her email and social network accounts were hacked.

TV anchor Amrita Rai files hacking complaint

Man stabs girl 30 times after marriage proposal rejected

Man stabs girl 30 times after marriage proposal rejected
A 39-year-old man killed his female friend by stabbing her 30 times when she turned down his marriage proposal, police said. The accused has been arrested.

Man stabs girl 30 times after marriage proposal rejected

Now buy condoms, healthcare products at Delhi Metro stations

Now buy condoms, healthcare products at Delhi Metro stations
Healthcare products will now be available to Delhi Metro commuters through vending machines being set up at various stations, a contraceptive manufacturer said here Thursday.

Now buy condoms, healthcare products at Delhi Metro stations

SC appoints Justice Shah to head SIT on black money

SC appoints Justice Shah to head SIT on black money
The Supreme Court Thursday appointed Justice (retd) M.B. Shah as the chairman of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) set up to investigate the stashing away of black money in foreign banks and suggest ways to bring it back to India.

SC appoints Justice Shah to head SIT on black money

My father is Rajiv Gandhi: Priyanka to Modi's daughter comment

My father is Rajiv Gandhi: Priyanka to Modi's daughter comment
In a scathing retort to Narendra Modi's reported "daughter" comment, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra Thursday said she was the daughter of late former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi, while controversy-hit Doordarshan clarified there was no "deliberate editing" of the BJP prime ministerial candidate's interview.

My father is Rajiv Gandhi: Priyanka to Modi's daughter comment