Satyendar Jain (left); North MCD Mayor Jai PrakashDelhi health minister Satyendar Jain Friday alleged that the North Delhi Municipal Corporation has misappropriated Rs 2,400 crore of funds given by the South Delhi Municipal Corporation, even as as the Delhi state BJP president Adesh Gupta held a meeting with L-G Anil Baijal over the Delhi government “not releasing Rs 13,000 crore to the MCDs”.
Over the past five days, mayors of the three civic bodies have been staging a sit-in protest in front of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s residence, demanding that the Delhi government release over Rs 13,000 crore they claim is owed to the MCDs. On Friday, BJP workers held protest demonstrations outside the residence of several Delhi ministers.
The issue of money owed to the MCDs was raised by the BJP mayors during protests by the doctors of North MCD-run hospitals in late October as well. At the time, it was rebuffed by Kejriwal as “false” — he had said that the BJP was mismanaging the funds for MCDs and that the Delhi government had paid all dues they are legally obliged to.
Jain said at a press conference on Friday, “I have directed officials of the urban development to inquire into the matter of how over Rs 2,400 crore of funds given to the North MCD by the South MCD were misappropriated.”
Jai Prakash, BJP-elect mayor of the North MCD, told The Indian Express, “Since we have been trying to protest over the past few days, demanding Rs 13,000 crore owed to the MCDs by the Delhi government, this is a new tactic to divert the attention from that. All budgets are approved by the House — this (Jain’s) claim is not true.”
He added that North MCD health professionals and staff are due two months’ salary, and other workers of the North MCD are due four months’ salary. He said, “The Delhi government owes us Rs 6,355 crore, and the East and South civic bodies are owed Rs 2,985 crore and Rs 4,132 crore — which amounts to more than Rs 13,000 crore.”
According to a press release by the Delhi BJP, the L-G assured Gupta that he would get a response from the Delhi government on the matter.