Complaints over road cave-ins, drainage & irregularities in civic contracts have been rising
A recent District Development Coordination and Monitoring Committee (DISHA) meeting in Faridabad turned stormy as BJP MP Krishan Pal Gurjar accused the Faridabad Municipal Corporation (MC) of becoming a “hub of corruption”. Here is what you need to know about what happened.
- Why did Krishan Pal Gurjar attack the MC?
The BJP MP launched a sharp public attack on civic officials over repeated complaints regarding damaged roads, poor-quality construction work, alleged commission-taking and misuse of public funds in municipal projects. During the DISHA meeting, Gurjar reportedly confronted senior MCF engineers, including the Chief Engineer, XENs, SDOs and Junior Engineers, alleging that contractors and officials were siphoning off taxpayers’ money as infrastructure across the city continued to deteriorate. “Roads are breaking before completing their lifespan. Inferior material is being used for interlocking tile work and sewer projects. The city has been turned into a centre for loot,” said Gurjar, according to officials present at the meeting.
- What specific allegations were levelled against the MC?
Apart from poor road quality and collapsing civic works, Gurjar also raised questions over plantation drives carried out by the civic body. He alleged that crores of rupees were being billed in the name of tree plantation without any work to show for it on ground. “Bills worth crores are being cleared in the name of trees, but there are no trees visible anywhere,” he remarked.
Ballabgarh MLA Mool Chand Sharma also accused officials of repeatedly digging up roads that were only a few years old despite many stretches still being under warranty periods. “This is not your father’s money,” Sharma told officials while questioning the repeated reconstruction of roads. Badhkal MLA Dhanesh Adlakha further alleged that some officials were operating through middlemen and claimed that older roads built years ago remained intact while newly constructed roads were collapsing within months.
- What triggered the heated exchanges during the meeting?
The meeting turned confrontational after the issue of a road closure near Mawai village was raised. Gurjar criticised officials from the Uttar Pradesh Irrigation Department for allegedly shutting the road without consulting local authorities or elected representatives. Calling the move “unacceptable,” he said public movement could not be blocked forcibly without proper coordination. The exchange intensified as legislators and officials traded accusations over accountability for repeated civic failures.
- Why are the remarks politically significant?
The remarks come at a time when Faridabad has been witnessing growing complaints over road cave-ins, poor drainage systems, damaged infrastructure and irregularities in civic contracts. Gurjar’s unusually public criticism of officials belonging to a civic body governed under a BJP-led system has added political weight to the issue. He warned that officers found involved in corruption or misuse of public funds would face action and directed authorities to identify responsible officials. The incident has once again brought the spotlight on infrastructure quality and governance failures in Faridabad which is turf of state ULB minister Vipul Goel.
