MCD's Rs 650cr HQ springs a leak in rain

MCD stands exposed, again. After being caught on the wrong foot last week when it took media for a review of its Commonwealth Games projects, the civic body was embarrassed again on Tuesday during an inspection tour of the recently-inaugurated swanky civic centre.

The Municipal Corporation of Delhi's new headquarters the 28-storey Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Civic Centre resembled a towering mess during an inspection tour by leader of opposition in MCD house, J K Sharma, and other Congress councillors. Parts of the ground floor and basement of the building constructed at a cost of Rs 650 crore were under knee-deep water. The roof too was leaking. No wonder, Tuesday's downpour seems to have washed away all the claims of MCD political brass of shifting the civic body office to the new address by August.

Claiming that sub-standard construction work had led to the situation, Sharma demanded a CBI probe and blacklisting and stopping of payment to the Malaysian contractor responsible for the project. Sharma said: "The project deadline has been extended several times. The progress of the civic centre after the inauguration is absolutely nil. The building was supposed to have a separate sewerage and water treatment plant for clearing water. I am glad that it rained and exposed the lies.''

Water was seeping through walls and pipes in some blocks and rainwater also gushed through the roof of the portico. Sharma said: "The ceilings have developed cracks and it seems that the entire building is about to fall.''

However, project officials and engineers said that ceilings leaked as the drain pipes got choked and waterlogging occurred as the building was still under construction.

"We have a rainwater harvesting well and pumping stations. Water should be pumped out through drains but these are still being constructed. As a result, water accumulated,'' said chief project manager Sunil Tyagi.

On water gushing through the expansion joints the gap between floor decks for withholding weather or seismic impact on upper floors, Tyagi said: "The work of covering the joints is under process. We are identifying other problems and will rectify them soon.''

But Sharma was unrelenting and demanded action against supervising MCD officials. "The ruling-BJP had inaugurated the building in a haste but it's still not ready. I don't see it getting completed anytime soon,'' he said. But Tyagi said that all the work will be over in three to four months.

Mayor P R Sawhney said: "We will take necessary steps to resolve the problems, if any.'' MCD is yet to make arrangements for the maintenance, sanitation and house-keeping of the 28-storey structure. It is still busy securing the building and is yet to get a clearance from the fire department.