‘Give Rs 5 lakh, only then the map will be passed…’, Municipality Chairman Irfan Saifi seriously accused of demanding bribe

Yameen Vikat, Thakurdwara. A case of corruption has come to light from Moradabad district of Uttar Pradesh which has raised serious questions on the functioning of the local administration and municipality. The matter is of Thakurdwara Municipal Council, where an advocate has seriously accused its Chairman Mohammad Irfan of demanding a huge bribe of Rs 5 lakh in exchange for passing the map. The victim says that he had deposited the government fees as per the rules, but despite this he is being tortured mentally and financially.

Actually, this whole matter has come into limelight after the complaint of a person named Mumtaz Alam Saifi. Mumtaz has submitted a complaint letter to Police Regional Officer (CO) Thakurdwara demanding registration of FIR against Chairman Mohammad Irfan. The victim alleges that the chairman is not only demanding bribe but is also threatening to demolish the construction on his land and take over the land if the money is not paid.

Demand for ‘service’ even after paying government fees

According to the victim Mumtaz Alam, he had applied to Municipal Council Thakurdwara to get the map of one of his plots located in Mohalla Fatehullahganj approved. For this, he had also deposited the prescribed government fee of Rs 24,050 on June 6, 2023, the receipt of which is with him. He expected that after completing the paperwork, his work would be done easily, but in reality his problems started from here.

Mumtaz says that when she asked about the progress of the map, she was told that she would have to meet the Chairman for this. When he reached the office of Chairman Mohammad Irfan on June 7, 2023, the scene there was different. It is alleged that the Chairman took his application in hand and directly made an ‘illegal’ demand of Rs 5 lakh.

“Your land is worth crores, you will have to serve me.”

According to the claims made in the complaint letter, Chairman Mohammad Irfan told the victim that the value of his land is very high and after the map is passed, it will be worth crores. Mumtaz alleges that the chairman publicly said, “If the land is so valuable, you will have to ‘serve’ me to get the map passed.”

Surprisingly, when Mumtaz expressed her inability to pay such a huge amount, she was allegedly threatened. It is being told that the Chairman clearly said that unless Rs 5 lakh is received, neither the map will be passed nor any construction there will be able to survive. Mumtaz says that she was threatened that the chairman has all the power and he will take her land into the possession of the municipality.

series of threats and harassment

The victim is tired of making rounds of the municipality for the last several months. Mumtaz Alam says that he is completely broken. Due to the undue influence of the Chairman, their legitimate work has come to a standstill. Not only this, the victim also alleges that the chairman’s people have reached his land and tried to demolish the construction, due to which he is mentally very scared.

At present, the victim has appealed to the police administration to take strict legal action against Chairman Mohammad Irfan, son of late Abdul Rehman and file a report. This matter has now gained momentum and discussions have intensified among the local people regarding the corruption prevalent in the municipality. It remains to be seen what action the police and administration take on this serious complaint.