Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has demanded Rs10,000 crore from the Centre to develop the unauthorised colonies in the national Capital. Reaching out to the residents of unauthorised colonies on Sunday, the Chief Minister pressed the Centre to release more funds for the city’s development and said that the “paltry” tax share it receives currently was not sufficient. Addressing a rally in North-East Delhi’s Karawal Nagar, Kejriwal also said that the Government has taken initiatives through which residents of four colonies were already getting their maps sanctioned and would soon get registration rights.
“We will provide basic facilities in all unauthorised colonies. For this, we will need a lot of money. Both the Centre and the State are equally responsible for the development work here. It is not just the Centre giving money for the development of the national Capital. Delhi gives Rs65,000 crore in the form of taxes to the Centre every year and in return gets only a paltry sum of Rs325 crore. We should get at least Rs10,000 crore for the develop-ment of the colonies,” he said. He slammed the Congress and the BJP for having treated the residents of unauthorised colonies as “vote banks”.
“Whenever I used to meet the leaders of these parties, they used to say that if we fulfil all the promises at a go then what we will do the next time,” he alleged. The Chief Minister said the Government had identified six issues, namely water, sewer, roads, drains, streetlights and cleanliness of the colonies as priority areas. On AAP’s key poll promise of not demolishing slums, he said the Government would not allow further demolition but requested the residents to prevent “new constructions,” which he said would lead to further deterioration.
Kejriwal also urged the residents not to fall prey to “conspiracies being woven against the Government”. On Saturday, addressing a rally at Mundka, Kejriwal had announced a compensation of Rs50,000 per hectare for farmers hit by recent unseasonal rain and hailstorm.