New Delhi: Delhi’s vigilance department on Wednesday, April 26, issued a show-cause notice to Udit Prakash Rai, an IAS officer, in connection with the demolition of a 15th-century structure in South East Delhi’s Jal Vihar near Lajpat Nagar, Indian Express reported.
The notice alleged that the structure was demolished at the behest of Rai to make way for his residence whilst he served as the chief executive officer of the Delhi Jal Board. While Rai, an AGMUT (Arunachal Pradesh-Goa-Mizoram and Union Territory) cadre officer, is currently posted in Mizoram, his family continues to live in the newly constructed residence which came up in the place of the medieval age monument.
The issue has been going on since December 2020 when Delhi’s Archaeology Department first visited the site in December 2020 and found two structures: one, which appeared to be a “gateway”; and two, the “main building” of the said Mahal (palace). After the visit, in January 2021, the Archaeology Department, seeking possession of the site, wrote to the DJB for “immediate attention” and conservation.
According to Archeology Department, the site is a “Pathan period” Mahal dating back to 1418 when the Sayyid dynasty ruled Delhi, and was constructed of brick masonry and red sandstone. The site also finds mention in the Archeological Survey of India (ASI) List of Muhammadan and Hindu monuments.
Two years later, in January this year, when the Archealogy Department team visited the site again, it found that the monument was razed to the ground to make way for a plush bungalow, which is now designated to be the official residence of the Delhi Jal Board’s CEO.
The recently issued show-cause notice noted that the monument was under the “control” of DJB near a few small residential quarters built on the same premise. It also said the built-up area of the new house, which replaced the monument, is 700 sqm, exceeding even the “prescribed area of 403 sqm of a type VIII quarter by almost 300 sqm”. Rai was entitled to Type V government housing. The newly constructed house stood on a plot which is about 5,500 sqm, and Rs 4 crore was spent on the bungalow.
The notice also recorded the statements of the Archaeology Department’s inspection team, which had said that it had “found that only one structure i.e. gateway could be identified on the site”.
“The Mahal of Pathan period was allegedly demolished as per the directions of Udit Prakash Rai, CEO (DJB) with the help of DJB engineers,” the show-cause notice said, adding that Rai had done so despite he was “well aware of the fact that there exists a historical monument”. The notice sought Rai’s response in two weeks. Both Rai and Delhi water minister Saurabh Bharadwaj did not respond to calls or messages, according to the Indian Express report.
Meanwhile, Rai’s wife dismissed allegations made against her husband. “These are only allegations. There were old DJB quarters here, which have been renovated. This is not our personal house. If we leave, the structure will not come back. We are fighting against the issue. The monument was not inside the boundary. A monument still exists on the other side of the boundary. We have placed shuttering alongside the boundary to keep out wild animals and thieves,” she was quoted by the news report as saying.
The issue assumes significance given that it comes close on the heels of allegations levelled against Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal who is accused of spending a whopping Rs 45 crore for renovation of his official residence during the peak of COVID-19 pandemic.