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ED Raids AAP Leaders in Delhi Hospital Construction Scam: 13 Locations Searched

ED Raids AAP Leaders in Delhi Hospital Construction Scam: 13 Locations Searched

ED Raids AAP Leaders Saurabh Bharadwaj and Satyendar Jain in Delhi Hospital Construction Scam. Raids at 13 Locations, Investigation into Irregular Expenditure and Delays of ₹5,590 Crore.

Delhi News: Major action is being taken against former Delhi Health Minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Saurabh Bharadwaj. From Monday to Tuesday morning, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) initiated raids at a total of 13 locations, including his residence. These raids are being conducted as part of the investigation into the ongoing hospital construction scam in Delhi.

In this matter, the ED claims that there have been serious irregularities and alleged corruption in hospital construction projects. These projects were approved during the tenure of the Aam Aadmi Party, in which crores of rupees were spent.

Alleged Scam in Health Projects During AAP Government

According to the ED, in 2018-19, the Aam Aadmi Party government approved projects for 24 new hospitals. The plan was to have ICU hospitals ready within six months. However, only 50 percent of the work on these projects has been completed so far.

The ED also stated that the construction cost of Lok Nayak Hospital increased from ₹488 crore to ₹1,135 crore. The agency alleges that construction work was started in several hospitals without proper approvals. The roles of former Health Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj and Satyendar Jain are under investigation in this case. The ED says that both are facing serious allegations of irregularities in projects and misuse of public funds.

ED and ACB Investigation Process

Earlier, the Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) of Delhi had registered a case alleging large-scale corruption in health infrastructure-related projects during the AAP government.

In June, the ACB filed a case against Saurabh Bharadwaj and Satyendar Jain. Later, this case was transferred to the central investigation agency, the ED. In July, the ED started investigating this scam and has so far taken possession of several important documents and records.

What Was the Allegation Against the AAP Leader?

This scam started in August 2024. At that time, the Leader of the Opposition in the Delhi Legislative Assembly, Vijender Gupta, filed a complaint in this matter. The complaint stated that there had been serious irregularities in the health projects running under the GNCTD. The complaint named both former ministers and alleged that the budgets of the projects were manipulated, public funds were misused, and there was collusion with private contractors.

Delay in Hospital Construction and Increase in Expenditure

According to the ED, there has been a huge increase in costs due to delays in the construction of several hospitals. For example, the cost of Lok Nayak Hospital has almost doubled. In addition, only half the work has been completed on the hospitals that were targeted to be completed in six months. This is a clear indication that there have been management and financial irregularities in the projects.

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