The BJP on Saturday accused the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)-led Delhi government of trying to “paralyse” municipal corporations in the Capital as per a “planned conspiracy” for its own “political gain”.
Delhi BJP chief Manoj Tiwari demanded that the Delhi government “immediately release” ₹5,282.2 crore due to the city’s three civic bodies so that the North Delhi Municipal Corporation “may work smoothly”.
Facing problems
“The Central government is making all the possible efforts to make the lives of the people of Delhi smooth but the Aam Aadmi Party, under a planned conspiracy, is trying to paralyse the municipal corporations for its political gain. Is the Kejriwal government not concerned about the people of Delhi?” Mr. Tiwari demanded.
“The North Delhi Municipal Corporation is not able to pay salaries to doctors, school teachers and sanitation workers because of a financial crunch. The doctors and teachers of the North Corporation are on a strike and, as a result, the people in the area are facing many problems,” he alleged.
Terming it “step-motherly treatment” Leader of the Opposition in the Delhi Assembly Vijender Gupta alleged that first Mr. Kejriwal “harassed the corporations” in providing grants under the Fourth Delhi Finance Commission (2012-17).
Later, to avoid contempt of court, these recommendations were implemented in such a manner that the Delhi government does not face contempt of court and, simultaneously, “is not required to pay the funds to the corporations”, the leader alleged.
“The Fifth Delhi Finance Commission was to be implemented from the year 2017 but the Delhi government rejected 29 important recommendations made by the commission and hatched a conspiracy to make municipal corporations crippled financially,” Mr. Gupta alleged.
The Delhi Finance Commission, Mr. Gupta claimed, had recommended a special grant of ₹280 crore for hospitals. Rather than accepting this, however, the Delhi government was seeking to take these over in violation of the MCD Act. An annual amount of ₹1,228.42 crore for the strengthening of roads, unauthorised colonies, development of jhuggi bastis and sanitation and maintenance of sanitary landfills, he alleged, had been reduced to “nil”.
“Kejriwal is doing so to see that BJP-ruled municipal bodies are not able to take up developmental works and the BJP is discredited and AAP gets political advantage during the Assembly elections next year,” he alleged.