Kolkata: Following a complaint about illegal buildings during ‘Talk to Mayor’ programme, Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) Mayor Firhad Hakim alleged that the councilors had to face problems as the building department of KMC and police took bribes leading to illegal construction issues.
“Officials from the building department and police mint money and take bribes for illegal constructions and later the councilors are blamed. By taking bribes they pass the bills,” said Hakim.
Claiming that the lower level of the building department mints money from such practices, Hakim claimed that the councilors don't get building plans.
“Mayor and DG is kept in the dark and the borough offices go on with their malpractices. But later the Mayor and DG will be blamed. Now after people are complaining about this habit, the rate of bribes will double now. Action will be taken soon,” assured the KMC Mayor.
Soon after Hakim’s comment, the opposition cried foul against him claiming that through such comments he wants to blame others.
BJP state president Sukanta Majumdar said that finally Hakim spoke the ‘truth’.
“The BJP always spoke about the wrongdoings of the Trinamool Congress and now gradually the TMC leaders are themselves speaking about the same. By such a comment Hakim wanted to show that he is not involved in corruption,” said Majumdar.
Senior CPI (M) leader and politburo member Sujan Chakraborty claimed that indirectly Hakim tried to blame Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee who is also the police minister.
“Is Hakim indirectly trying to blame Mamata Banerjee as she is also the police minister. The police is anyways puppet in the hands of the state government and often works as TMC cadres,” mentioned Chakraborty, adding that not in words in action TMC should stop ‘corruption’.
