Shinde skips Delhi Police function at last moment

New Delhi, July 26: Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde on Friday skipped the foundation stone-laying ceremony at the site for the proposed new headquarters of Delhi Police saying the project is yet to obtain its environmental clearances.

"It (the building) still has not been given its environmental and height clearances, among other. "Home Ministry officials suggested I should not go there," he told reporters here minutes after cancelling the visit to the function organised at Jai Singh Marg near Connaught Place.

Delhi Police Commissioner Neeraj Kumar later met the Home Minister at the latter's North Block office. "The Home Minister had accepted the invitation to lay the foundation stone (for the police HQ). But later, he refused to come. "So, we have only done 'bhoomi pujan' and have not laid the foundation stone.

Someone in his ministry told the Home Minister that it would not be correct going there," he said.

Sources say Shinde has been upset with Delhi Police over their alleged mishandling of protests which came in the wake of the December 16 gangrape incident in the city. He is also unhappy over the storming of his house by protesters and the alleged manhandling of West Bengal Finance Minister Amit Mitra when he had accompanied Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to Planning Commission.

Kumar will retire as Delhi Police Commissioner on July 31.

PTI