Indore : “ Even after registering several complaints with higher officials during the weekly Jan Sunwai and approaching BO ( Building Officer) Sudhir Gulve for inspection of an illegal construction site, none reached to our help. The officers of the Corporation are corrupt and demanding bribe”, alleged a group of residents from Lodhi Mohalla who approached IMC Commissioner Rakesh Singh during the weekly Jan Sunwai held at the IMC headquarters here on Tuesday. Later, the IMC Commissioner offered to resign from the post, if the problem faced by the residents is not redressed within two weeks.
The open allegations of the residents on the IMC officials triggered a verbal fight between the IMC Commissioner and a resident, Rajkumar alias Raju.
Levelling direct allegations against the IMC officers, Rajkumar said that the officials demand bribe when they approach them to solve their problems. Officers Gulve turned them away saying “ Karte hai, dekhte hai,” he said. “ This sentence of the official has become a part of his attitude towards the problems being faced by us,” Raju added.
Replying to the allegations, the IMC Commissioner, in an open manner reprimanded the officials present during the Jan Sunwai on maintaining silence over the allegations of being corrupt. He even asked them “ Are you people corrupt and if not then why are you silent? I can say I’m not corrupt.” On intervention of another resident of the area, Deepak Gupta, the Commissioner calmed down and gave an ear to the problems.
He told him that the residents were facing severe problems due to the illegal constructions on commercial spaces in the residential area. On learning about the gravity of the matter and hearing the whole problem, the Commissioner said “ If you had given an application in last week’s Jan Sunwai and the problem was not redressed by the IMC official concerned, he would have been suspended.” The Commissioner, while conversing with the residents asked them to approach the IMC officials during the weekly Jan Sunwai to be held on October 28 and if the problem caused by the alleged constructions in the area is not solved, he would resign from the post.
Later, IMC Commissioner Rakesh Singh rebuked the officials for not saying anything on Raju’s allegation of corruption.
He said, “ I would write to the government asking not to appoint such officials in the Corporation who could not respond to allegations of corruption by the people.
Singh roars Another resident of Lalbagh area reached at the IMC Jan Sunwai and presented a bouquet to the Commissioner and said “ The IMC, without developing an optional route, had demolished one of the major connecting bridges of the area.” The residents are affected badly by this action. When Commissioner asked officer Mahesh Sharma about the matter, Sharma told the resident that “ This is the way the IMC works.” Workaholic IMC