A day after the AAP Government hiked water tariff by 10 per cent, the BJP, on Friday, alleged that the Government is misleading Delhiites by not addressing key issues in the Capital. While calling the latest decision “height of discrimination”, leader of the BJP Vijender Gupta said that the new Government was forcing people to install the same water meters that it had declared faulty during the election campaign. Besides, he demanded that the Fourth Delhi Finance Commission’s report be tabled in the upcoming Assembly session.
“It is extremely wrong to just give benefits to some sections of society and leave the others. By giving free water and on the other hand, charging money at a higher rate, the Aam Aadmi Party is playing a dirty policy of rewarding and punishing based on people’s class in the Capital,” Gupta said.
Speaking of faulty water meters, he added that the Government-led Delhi Jal Board (DJB) has begun to forcibly install the same AMR meters against which it protested earlier.
“Kejriwal had claimed that the meters even calculated the air flow and this is true with the meters that the DJB was now asking the residents to install. Now, for the last one month, DJB teams accompanied by the police are working overtime to change water meters and install the same meters. Those who dare to protest are served showcause notices and threatened by officials with disconnection and water theft cases,” Gupta maintained.
Slamming the AAP Government, he also demanded the tabling of Fourth Delhi Finance Commission’s report during two-day Assembly
session to take up the issue
of the deep financial crunch the three municipal corporations are facing.
According to Gupta, the Fourth Delhi Finance Commission, which is mandated to examine the financial position of the municipalities, was established in October, 2009.
“The commission had
submitted its final report on April 5, 2013, but due to Government inaction under Congress regime and subsequent AAP rule, it has not been implemented so far,” he said.
The BJP also said the commission’s report is gathering dust for last two years due to which all three corporations are facing a fund crunch.
The BJP also warned that if the Government fails to table the report during two-day Assembly session to be held on March 24 and 25, it would create a constitutional crisis since the commission is a statutory body and the State Government is obligated to act on its recommendations.