In a scathing attack on the Delhi Government, Delhi Congress chief and former Union Minister Ajay Maken on Wednesday said Delhi is suffering because of Arvind Kejriwal's fight with the Centre.
Maken who led a delegation along with MCDs councillors and Aldermen on Wednesday met lieutenant-Governor Najeeb Jung and highlighted financial crunch being faced by the three MCDs and submitted him a memorandum.
According to Congress leaders, the lieutenant-Governor has assured to look into their memorandum and take it up with the Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal including implementation of fourth Finance Commission's recommendations.
Maken said Kejriwal has fund to give ads in FM radio and electronic media but he do not have fund to pay MCDs employees. Accusing Kejriwal, the Congress leader said that Kejriwal puts out his ads in FM radio after every song, and shows ads with Kejriwal's back to the camera in televisions by spending crores of rupees out of the huge sum of Rs 526 crores the AAP Government has earmarked for its publicity campaign, but the AAP Government does not have funds to solve the financial crunch in the MCDs. “As a result, development works in Delhi have come to a grinding halt.”
After meeting with the lieutenant-Governor, the Congress leader said whenever the financial condition of the MCDs worsened, the Delhi Government had given grant-in-aids to the MCDs to tide over their financial crises.
He said the financial conditions of the three MCDs have become so bad that they do not have funds to distribute the wages of the sanitation staff, teachers, doctors, nurses and other category of employees, which have been pending for the past many months. “As a result, these employees have to come out on the streets to fight for their just rights by holding dharnas and demonstrations.
“The condition of the East DMC is so bad that it does not have funds for carrying out development works. The AAP Government has also de-activated the Trans-Yamuna Development Board which used to look after the overall development works in the trans-Yamuna area for the Delhi Government.