ED raids GMADA offices in Delhi, Chandigarh, Mohali over money laundering
Synopsis
The Enforcement Directorate has swooped on GMADA offices across four cities — searching the premises of Punjab's top housing bureaucrat and the authority itself — over alleged auction manipulation and illegal waiver of developer dues. The raids arrive as BJP sharpens its anti-corruption pitch ahead of Punjab's 2027 assembly polls, citing admissions by AAP's own MP.
Key Takeaways
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) searched GMADA and Housing Secretary Vikas Garg's office on 22 September 2026 across Delhi , Chandigarh , Mohali , and Ludhiana .
Searches linked to alleged irregularities in GMADA auctions and unauthorised waiver of External Development Charges (EDC) and interest dues from builders.
Punjab BJP President Kewal Singh Dhillon cited an AAP MP's own acknowledgment of GMADA corruption to attack the ruling government.
Dhillon alleged actual mining revenue under AAP stood at just ₹600 crore against a promised ₹20,000 crore .
BJP has vowed to make the corruption issue central to the 2027 Punjab Assembly elections .
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday, 22 September conducted searches at multiple locations across Delhi, Chandigarh, Mohali, and Ludhiana in connection with alleged financial irregularities at the Greater Mohali Area Development Authority (GMADA) and related money laundering, according to an official statement.
What the ED Searched
Search operations targeted the GMADA office as well as the office of Vikas Garg, Principal Secretary, Housing and Urban Development, Punjab. Investigators were looking for evidence tied to alleged irregularities including manipulated GMADA auctions and the reportedly unauthorised waiver of External Development Charges (EDC) and interest dues owed by builders and developers, the ED said.
The searches were conducted in connection with First Information Reports (FIRs) already registered by probe agencies. The ED has not yet disclosed the names of individuals detained or documents seized.
Political Fallout: BJP Targets AAP Government
The federal agency's action has intensified an already sharp political battle in Punjab. Punjab Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President Kewal Singh Dhillon had, last month, launched a direct attack on the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government over alleged corruption in GMADA, saying the rot had been exposed by the party's own lawmaker.
'The admission by the AAP MP regarding bribery and the exploitation of the system by the bureaucracy in GMADA is clear evidence that the Mann government is completely steeped in corrupt functioning,' Dhillon said in a statement.
He argued that when a sitting AAP Member of Parliament acknowledges graft within a government body, the administration's claim of 'zero tolerance' towards corruption becomes untenable. Dhillon alleged that corruption is not confined to GMADA but is 'rampant across Punjab,' adding that it has 'broken the backs of common people, traders and the poor.'
Mining Revenue Row
Dhillon also revived an older controversy, alleging that former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had promised ₹20,000 crore would flow into Punjab's exchequer from mining, but actual revenue reportedly remained limited to just ₹600 crore. 'Where did the remaining ₹19,400 crore go? The people of Punjab are well aware of the answer,' he said.
What Comes Next
The BJP president predicted that voters will hold the AAP government accountable in the 2027 Punjab Assembly elections, calling it a 'deeply dishonest government' with no moral right to remain in power. The AAP government in Punjab had not issued a formal response to the ED raids at the time of this report. The outcome of the ED's searches — including any arrests or charge sheets — is expected to shape the political narrative ahead of the next state polls.
Point of View
The BJP's instant political packaging of the raids raises legitimate questions about the separation of investigative action from electoral strategy. More critically, the alleged waiver of developer dues from GMADA — a body meant to fund urban infrastructure — points to a structural governance failure that predates any single party. If the probe establishes that builders were let off crores in EDC and interest, the real victims are Punjab's cities, not just the state exchequer.
NationPress
22 Sept 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What is GMADA and why is it under ED scrutiny?
The Greater Mohali Area Development Authority (GMADA) is Punjab's nodal agency for urban development in the Greater Mohali region. The ED is investigating alleged scams involving rigged auctions and the unauthorised waiver of External Development Charges and interest dues owed by private builders and developers, which could constitute money laundering under federal law.
Who was targeted in the ED raids on 22 September 2026?
The ED searched the GMADA office and the official premises of Vikas Garg, Principal Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, Punjab. The searches were conducted across Delhi, Chandigarh, Mohali, and Ludhiana in connection with FIRs already registered by probe agencies.
What has the BJP said about the GMADA scam?
Punjab BJP President Kewal Singh Dhillon has alleged that corruption in GMADA was admitted by an AAP Member of Parliament himself, calling it proof that the Bhagwant Mann-led government is 'completely steeped in corrupt functioning.' He also alleged that promised mining revenues of ₹20,000 crore yielded only ₹600 crore.
Has the AAP government responded to the ED raids?
The AAP government in Punjab had not issued a formal public response to the ED searches at the time of reporting. The party has previously rejected BJP accusations of corruption as politically motivated.
What is the political significance of these raids ahead of 2027?
Punjab goes to the Assembly polls in 2027, and the BJP is positioning the GMADA probe as a central accountability issue. The ED raids provide fresh ammunition for the opposition, particularly given BJP's claim that an AAP MP has himself acknowledged institutional corruption within the state government.
