Chandigarh: Vigilance to probe ₹100-crore community centre booking scam
This comes nearly a month after the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) had alleged large-scale irregularities in the exemption-based booking system meant for economically weaker sections (EWS).
Families below the poverty line (BPL) can book community centres for weddings free of cost, provided they are recommended by their area councillor. It is the councillor's responsibility to verify the financial condition of the applicant before recommending such a concession.
AAP leaders had claimed that there was a nexus of middlemen, who with the help of fake councillor endorsements and municipal staff, were manipulating the booking process to illegally charge poor families between ₹ 26,000 and ₹ 55,000 per booking.
AAP spokesperson and city councillor Yogesh Dhingra, while raising the issue, had alleged: 'Middlemen take money from poor people but get the bookings done for free of cost. We demand a complete record of all community centre bookings for the last five years; details of each booking: name, date, purpose, and fees; all files where councillor recommendations or approvals are attached; forensic investigation report on forged signatures and stamps; file movement trail and internal notings of the booking branch; and identification of guilty officials.'
Stating that the local government department has formally written to the vigilance department, requesting a thorough probe, the MC chief said, 'The entire booking record, including the role of councillors in verifying these cases, will be probed.'
Booking branch staff shifted
After the AAP leaders' claims, mayor Harpreet Kaur Babla had asked the municipal commissioner to initiate a formal vigilance inquiry and transferred all staff working in the MC booking branch. In a preliminary report tabled by MC officials, it was revealed that a majority of free bookings between January 1, 2024, and May 31, 2025, came from wards represented by councillors Neha (AAP), Kuldeep Kumar Dhalor (AAP), Suman Devi (AAP), Ram Chander Yadav (AAP), Harpreet Kaur (BJP) and Kanwarjeet Singh (BJP), among others.
Responding to the scrutiny, former mayor and AAP councillor Dhalor defended the councillors' actions. 'Most of these bookings are from areas dominated by EWS populations such as colonies and villages. Recommendations were made only after due verification. We welcome the inquiry,' he said.
'New booking policy deferred again'
Meanwhile, the MC House has again deferred the much-delayed proposal for a new community centre booking policy, which has been pending since December 2024. The proposal seeks to revise booking charges and standardise exemptions. If approved, Category A centres—currently priced at ₹ 44,000—will see a 36% hike to ₹ 60,000. Category B centres will jump from ₹ 22,000 to ₹ 40,000, and Category C centres, which previously ranged from ₹ 5,000 to ₹ 22,000, will cost between ₹ 15,000 and ₹ 30,000.
The original proposal also recommended eliminating free bookings for any purpose, including marriages and religious ceremonies, arguing that even subsidised users should pay at least 50% of the cost due to mounting maintenance expenses. However, this was rejected by the MC's committee. The revised proposal now retains exemptions for marriages of BPL families, medical and blood donation camps, UT/MC official events, and meetings held by RWAs, senior citizens' groups, and pensioners' associations.
HOUSE AGENDAS
Approved: The House approved the auction of over 7.5 acres across five plots in Pocket Number 6 of Manimajra, paving the way for a multi-storey group housing society. The cumulative reserve price for plots crosses ₹ 794 crore. As per the plan, the land can be allotted either jointly to a consortium or to a single developer.
Deferred: The House deferred the proposal to finalise the new terms and conditions to hire a private firm for GIS-based mechanised and manual sweeping in Southern sectors. The firm, M/s Lion Services Ltd, that currently has the contract for the job has got a three-month extension.
Rejected: The House rejected former mayor Anup Gupta's appeal to restart the allotment process for the city's much-needed horticulture waste plan. Gupta had in May alleged that MC bypassed proper tendering procedures and unlawfully nominated M/s Hardicon Limited, a PSU, for the job without issuing any expression of interest or request for proposal. Following this, MC tabled a fresh request for proposal in the House on Monday, detailing terms and conditions for re-tendering. However, city councillors resolved to continue the hiring of PSU for the role. Demanding 'open auction', Gupta, supported by another BJP councillor Kanwarjeet Rana, added their dissent for the project and its allotment.
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