A private member resolution moved by Aam Aadmi Party MlA Somnath Bharti to dissolve the three municipal corporations and hold re-election in all of them could not be passed in the Delhi Assembly on Friday after Deputy CM Manish Sisodia called it a “hasty move”.
However, another resolution was passed to allow municipal councilors and Members of Parliament to spend their respective Area Development Fund in group housing societies, “just as MlA fund is allowed to be spent there”.
It must be noted, however, that it was only earlier this week that the Delhi Government passed the order allowing MlA fund to be spent in the group housing societies.
In what Deputy CM called a hasty move, AAP MlA Somnath Bharti moved a resolution that due to the “failure of the Corporations to fulfill the constitutional and statutory mandate of providing basic civic amenities to the people of Delhi… the three Municipal Corporations of Delhi be dissolved and fresh elections be held immediately”.
Moving the resolution, Bharti said within 24 hours of launching the “Swachchh Delhi Swachh Bharat” app by CM Arvind Kejriwal, thousand of complaints of garbage spread in Delhi localities were received which clearly indicate failure of the MCDs. Mentioning the 23 thousand “ghost employees working” in the MCD’s, Bharti also criticised them for rampant corruption. Agreeing with him, AAP MlA Bhavana Gaur called the MCD’s “scam generating agencies” and called for them to be “immediately dissolved”.
Another AAP MlA Alka lamba also supported the resolution calling for dissolution of the “useless MCD’s”. “Neither they are able to keep Delhi clean nor able to do any of their other jobs. There are rampant unauthorised parkings running with MCD support. The nurses of MCD hospitals keep going on strike; safai karamcharis keep going on strike. Twenty-four MCD schools have been shut down and another 30 are going to be shut down soon. It’s clear that they are useless and should be reformed,” she said.
Opposing the motion, Vijender Gupta said the Government’s responsibility is to strengthen the MCD’s but it is hell bent on weakening them.