Claiming that it has provided all monetary support to the three municipal corporations, the AAP Government on Monday told the Delhi High Court that it has paid the sum which was legal and financially viable. It also claimed that non-payment of wages of sanitation workers was due to some other reason.
It also submitted an affidavit saying the corporations were obligated to ensure sanitation and public health in the national Capital, a duty they have "failed to discharge" despite release of funds to them.
"However, in the event of the complete non-cooperation on the part of the corporations and the opaque attitude towards the vital issues of funds utilisation and management of municipal affairs by the corporations, answering respondent (Government) is unable to assist the corporations any further than what has already been provided," it has said.
The submissions have been made by the Government in an affidavit filed in response to a PIl claiming that due to non -payment of salaries and arrears since 2003 to the workers of the municipal corporations of Delhi (MCDs), the sanitation staff was not removing garbage from the streets.
The Delhi Government has claimed it has released all the funds that it was required to give to the three MCDs under non-plan and plan grants-in-aid.
Under non-plan heads, the Government claimed to have released "100 per cent of the revised estimates of the year 2015-2016 amounting to Rs892.92 crores, Rs465.53 crores and Rs830.41 crores" to North Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC), East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC) and South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) respectively.
The Government also claimed that the corporations have failed to collect property tax of over Rs 1555 crores from Delhi Development Authority (DDA). Meanwhile, EDMC in an affidavit has said since 2012, the Delhi Government has not paid it Rs627 crore. It has also contended that as per third Finance Commission, Rs101 crore is due with Delhi government from 2015-16.
North MCD, in its affidavit, has claimed there is no delay in payment of salaries to safai karamcharis and that the workers were paid till December 2015.
In its reply to the PIl, the Delhi Government has contended that in view of the financial situation of the MCDs, the corporations have been given the liberty to recover property tax from unauthorised colonies.
The Delhi Government has also contended that "instead of taking emergent steps to address what, in essence, is an issue of a total breakdown and collapse of civic governance, these authorities and persons responsible for their administration are expending all their energies in unnecessarily politicising the issue with a view to covering up their lapses".
The court on the last date of hearing had asked the city police chief to ensure there is no hindrance to lifting of garbage in coordination with the civic bodies, in view of the indefinite strike by sanitation workers.