The ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Wednesday alleged that due to corruption and incompetence, the political leadership of the MCDs turned the civic agencies into dens of corruption.
“The poor state of MCDs in Delhi is purely due to the lackadaisical attitude of the elected leadership of Municipal Corporations and the biased attitude of the Central Government. The Delhi Government has fulfilled its obligation as regard to release of both plan and non-plan funds for the current financial year. Further, the Delhi Government has already announced a moratorium on the Rs6,000 crore which the three MCDs owe to it on account of loans given to them over the year,” read a press statement on Wednesday.
It also stated that the Delhi Government has also decided not to seek payment of interest on these loans till further orders.
“The MCD failed to give any satisfactory answer before the Delhi High Court when it was asked to substantiate its claim on whether the Delhi Government owes anything to it for the current financial year”, it added.
The AAP’ position of funds released to the three corporations against Revised Estimates proposed by the Government of Delhi was claimed by the party as 100 per cent. “Only for South Delhi Municipal Corporation 20 per cent is remaining which would be given in next 10 days.”
Attacking the BJP and the AAP, the Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee (DPCC) on Wednesday blamed the BJP and the AAP Government for fund crunch in MCDs and the indefinite protest strike held by workers unions. The Committee also demanded implementation of Delhi Finance Commission recommendation.
Alleging that the Capital has become the “strike Capital” of the country, it said in the last one year, the MCD had witnessed several strikes with doctors, nurses, teachers and safai karamcharis going on strikes for non-payment of their salaries, which earned Delhi the epithet of the “strike capital”. The DPCC said the BJP-ruled MCDs and the Central Government and the AAP Government in Delhi were to be blamed for the present chaotic situation in the MCDs.
DPCC chief spokesperson Sharmistha Mukherjee said, “The AAP Government was also to be blamed for the present mess in the MCDs as it was the AAP Government’s apathetic attitude that has worsened the financial crisis in the MCDs.”