The Leader of the Opposition in the Delhi Assembly, Vijender Gupta, on Wednesday said the BJP will bring an adjournment motion in the upcoming budget session, which begins on Friday, against the Kejriwal government’s “failure” to provide requisite funds to the civic bodies as per recommendations of the 4th Delhi Finance Commission.
The BJP leader alleged that the government’s decision had caused “untold misery to lakhs of civic employees”, and had brought civic development to a halt.
“The Opposition will bring an adjournment motion in the Assembly. The government is not providing funds to local bodies out of political ill will. The callous attitude of the AAP government has paralysed the functioning of the local bodies. Not only are lakhs of civic employees undergoing acute financial hardships, hardly any civic development is taking place,” Mr. Gupta said.
Financial crisis
Financial crisis in local bodies, the Rohini legislator claimed, was “so acute” that salaries had not been paid since last December to safai karamcharis, teachers, hospital employees, civic officials and daily wagers, among others.
“Retired employees, whose sole source of income is pension, are finding it very difficult to survive. The civic staff has been compelled to take loans from loan sharks or borrow from relatives and friends. It is sad that the civic staff is undergoing acute torture and humiliation due to lack of cooperation from the government,” he alleged.
Mr. Gupta further wondered whether the Delhi government was creating obstacles in the functioning of the municipal corporations by not implementing the recommendations of 4th Delhi Finance Commission.
“Had the Kejriwal government implemented the recommendations of the 4th Delhi Finance Commission, the municipal bodies would have been saved from being crippled. In fact, the 5th Delhi Finance Commission presented its recommendations three months ago but the Delhi government has still not placed the report on the table of the Vidhan Sabha,” he alleged.
