Dharmendra Shah, the ex-Prabhari (in charge) of the Amdavad Municipal Corporation (AMC) who was removed from his position of joint treasurer of the state BJP a few days ago, has now been accused of over ₹500 crore scam by the state Congress.

Congress leaders Shailesh Parmar and Bimal Shah have claimed that the AMC suffered an estimated ₹100 crore loss due to irregularities in the effluent treatment plant for textile units in Behrampura.

The Congress claimed that Shah was involved in corrupt practices from the anti-chamber of the mayor’s office. They allege that Shah, going over  the municipal commissioner and mayor, controlled contracts related to waste management, buses, roads, and bridges.

Congress also accused that the corruption was systematically organised with the help of the Centre.

They have demanded an impartial investigation into the works approved by Shah and an IT department probe into the BJP leader’s account that received money from contractors.

They also pointed out that if a municipal employee was caught accepting a ₹50 lakh bribe, it indicates widespread, fear-free corruption in BJP-ruled municipal corporations. They have called for an investigation into how far the corruption reaches among high-ranking officials and politicians.

Congress raised questions about the ₹5,000 crore allocated by former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh during the UPA regime for the development of Ahmedabad, including ₹900 crore specifically for rainwater and drainage. Despite this expenditure, the city floods with even light rain. They questioned, “Where did these ₹900 crore go?”

The Opposition leaders said that in the current BJP rule, the corporation’s system is so corrupt that even getting a building plan approved has become extremely difficult for ordinary people. 

Over the high fees for building usage (BU) permissions, the leaders said that for common people, buying a flat and procedure have become like “Abhimanyu’s Chakravyuh”.

The Congress alleged that the corruption cycle has led to tragic incidents like the Morbi bridge collapse, the Harni boat tragedy, the Takshashila fire, and the Rajkot TRP Game Zone fire causing many deaths. Congress accuses the BJP of catching only small offenders while failing to address major issues. They called for stricter anti-corruption laws against senior officials and elected leaders in the upcoming Gujarat Assembly session.

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