Corruption charges hit AAP leaders in classroom building project worth ₹2,000 crore

The Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) of the Delhi Government has filed an FIR against former Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia and ex-PWD Minister Satyendar Jain in connection with alleged irregularities in the construction of government school classrooms during the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) administration.

The alleged scam, officials said, involves misappropriation of approximately ₹2,000 crore related to the construction of 12,748 classrooms or structures.

Confirming the move, Madhur Verma, Head of ACB, said, “The Chief Technical Examiner’s report of the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) pointed out several anomalies in the project, and the report was kept under the carpet for about three years. The case was registered after permission u/s 17-A POC Act was received from the competent authority.”

According to officials, several contractors allegedly linked to AAP were awarded the work, despite irregularities in the bidding process.

Appointments of consultants and architects were reportedly made without adhering to proper procedures, and almost all the projects witnessed cost escalations and missed deadlines.

The investigation stems from a 2019 complaint filed by BJP MP Manoj Tiwari, who flagged potential financial misconduct in the construction of classrooms in zones 23, 24, and 28.

Tiwari claimed the government spent ₹28 lakh per classroom, whereas the standard cost is around ₹5 lakh.

As per the awarded tenders, the average cost per room stood at ₹24.86 lakh, substantially higher than typical construction expenses in Delhi.

The contracts were awarded to 34 firms, many of whom are said to have close links with AAP.

The probe found that although the Expenditure Finance Committee in 2015-16 had mandated project completion by June 2016 without allowing cost escalations, not a single task was completed on time.

The CVC’s Chief Technical Examiner issued a report on Feb 17, 2020, with the approval of the competent authority, flagging multiple violations.

The report cited serious lapses in compliance with CPWD Works Manual 2014, GFR 2017, CVC guidelines, and other government norms.

It also stated that decisions made post-tendering violated prescribed procedures, leading to inflated costs and substantial financial losses.

The CVC concluded that the actual cost of construction came close to that of permanent structures, undermining the project's cost-efficiency claims.