Urban Development Minister Satyendar Jain on Friday said that he has ordered an inquiry into “misappropriation” of more than ₹2,400 crore by the North Delhi Municipal Corporation.
This, even as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which runs the three civic bodies, staged protests outside the official residences of Delhi Cabinet Ministers, demanding disbursal of dues amounting to ₹13,000 crore.
“North Delhi Municipal Corporation, which is said to be in a financial crunch and cannot pay salaries on time to its doctors and staffers, has done misappropriation of more than ₹2,400 crore. It was supposed to get from South Delhi Municipal Corporation. I came to know about this through newspapers. I have told the Additional Chief Secretary of Urban Development [of Delhi government] to inquire about it. An inquiry will be conducted,” Mr. Jain said while addressing a press conference at party headquarters.
On Wednesday, AAP alleged that the North corporation had waived ₹2,457 crore owed by the South Delhi Municipal Corporation.
When asked about the demand of ₹13,000 crore by the corporations, the Minister said: “They should ask the Central government. During the last elections, they were confident about getting funds from the Central government. The amount that Delhi government owes to the civic body as per the Finance Commission is duly paid off before time. We have rather loaned them money which is yet to be recovered.”
“We are not supposed to pay them anything, instead, they are the ones who owe us thousands of crores,” he added.
State Vice-President Ashok Goel Devraha, who led the protests which would spread to the homes of AAP MLAs on Saturday, said that the Kejriwal government was “adamant on ruining the corporations” due to political malice.
“By withholding the fund of the corporations, the Kejriwal government wants to deprive Delhiites of those facilities which the civic body is struggling to provide in the fields of education and healthcare,” he alleged.
AAP leader and MLA Atishi said for the past 15 days Commissioners of all the three BJP-ruled municipal corporations were on leave and raised questions over the working pattern of the corporations.
‘Commissioners on leave’
“On one side, the Mayors of civic bodies are sitting outside the CM’s residence and busy doing politics and on the other side the commissioners are on leave. AAP wants to know why has the BJP left the municipal corporations in such a condition and who is responsible for making the new budgets or imposing series of new taxes on citizens,” she told the media.
