The AAP Government on Monday urged lt Governor Najeeb Jung to direct Delhi Development Authority (DDA) to release dues running into crores to the three Municipal Corporations of Delhi (MCD) as the strike by over 60,000 sanitation workers entered the sixth day.
Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, who chaired a meeting of the State Cabinet that passed a resolution in this regard, also slammed the civic bodies for failing to collect taxes properly, thereby forcing the State Government to shell out more funds.
"The Delhi Government is concerned about the continuous strike of sanitation workers who are making a reasonable demand as they have not received salaries for several months. DDA owes Rs353 crore to East MCD. Besides, it also owes Rs808 crore and Rs593 crore to North and South municipal corporations respectively.
"Why aren't the BJP-led municipal corporations demanding their dues from the DDAIJ In view of this, the Delhi Cabinet passed a resolution requesting the lt Governor, who is also the chairman of the DDA, to intervene in the matter and get all dues cleared by the DDA immediately," Sisodia said.
He said being the chairman of DDA, it was the l-G's responsibility to get all dues cleared. If MCD doesn't collect tax properly and asks the Government to give funds for its staff's salaries, how will it be possible for the Delhi GovernmentIJ In case, we accept the demand, Government will have to cut salaries of its teachers, doctors who will be in trouble then, he said.
Sisodia claimed that the AAP Government has released more non-revenue (salaries) fund to all the three civic bodies — NDMC, EDMC and SDMC — as compared to the past three years.
"In 2012-13, the then Sheila Dikshit Government had given Rs 269 crore to EDMC, followed by Rs288 crore in 2013-14. During the President's Rule when Delhi was under the BJP-led Centre, Rs366 crore was released to the East MCD. But, the AAP Government gave Rs466 crore during 2015-16," he said.
Sisodia added that similarly, the city Government had given NDMC Rs526 crore in 2013-14 and Rs559 crore in 2013-14 and in 2014-15, Rs545 crore was released to the corporation, but in the current financial year, the Delhi Government has released Rs893 crore.