Ex-councillor alleges Rs 27 crore road scam

Former Mohali councillor Manjeet Singh Sethi has alleged that a newly built road from Madanpur to Diplast Chowk was laid with substandard material. (indianexpress.com) Sethi said the road was constructed around 20 to 22 days ago and that the tar layering was faulty. He also said he had already raised the issue in a meeting of the Mohali Municipal Corporation. (indianexpress.com) He put the value of the work at Rs 27 crore and said a single heavy rain could damage the stretch. Sethi further alleged that officials asked him to withdraw the complaint after he questioned the quality. (indianexpress.com) The dispute is unfolding inside a municipal body that still lists Manjit Singh Sethi as councillor for Ward 2 on its digital House portal, while the Indian Express report describes him as a former councillor. The corporation’s official site names Amarjit Singh Sidhu as mayor and Sandeep Singh Garha as commissioner. (mcmohali.punjab.gov.in) (mcmohali.org) (indianexpress.com) The allegation also arrives as Mohali’s road works are already under political pressure. On April 21, 2026, Congress leader Balbir Singh Sidhu demanded a probe into a separate Rs 912.63 crore Mohali Next Generation Roads Programme, alleging inflated costs and irregular contractor selection. (indianexpress.com) Earlier, Sethi had sought a Vigilance Bureau probe into alleged corruption in the allotment of development works in Ward 2, according to a November 2023 Tribune report. That complaint dealt with work allotment, not this Madanpur-to-Diplast Chowk road, but it shows he has repeatedly challenged civic contracting in Mohali. (tribuneindia.com) Mohali’s 2026-27 municipal budget projects roughly Rs 147 crore in development spending, underscoring how road quality disputes can quickly become political fights over oversight and execution. (tribuneindia.com) For now, the public claim is specific and narrow: Sethi says the road surface is weak, the work is recent, and the complaint should not have been withdrawn. The next test may be simpler than any meeting note — whether the road holds when the rains arrive. (indianexpress.com)