The Delhi Government has asked the East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC) to look for ways to get rid of their debts. The EDMC has been debt ridden ever since its creation by the then Sheila Dikshit Government in 2012. The EDMC had demanded Rs700 crore to tide their debts but the money was never sanctioned by the Ministry of Home Affairs.
Now the EDMC officials hope that the Kejriwal Government provides them a breather. “The Delhi Government reviewed a couple of departments. Their focus was on sanitation and unathorised colonies. The ministers focused on how the cleanliness in the areas should be maintained. The EDMC also gave a presentation on how they will maintain cleanliness in the city,” said an official.
The debt-ridden EDMC has sought financial assistance from lt Governor Najeeb Jung to help the civic body. A delegation of senior functionaries of EDMC led by Mayor Meenakshi had apprised Jung about the financial problem that the municipal body has been facing and sought financial aid to overcome it. It has sought a Rs600 crore grant from the Delhi Government in its budget to bail it out of the huge debt.
Mayor Meenakshi said that at the time of trifurcation the Municipal Corporation of Delhi, the Government had promised financial aid to compensate the financial losses but released an amount of Rs335 crore only against loan. Owing to shortage of funds, the corporation is facing difficulties in disbursing old-age pension, salaries to its employees, payments to contactors and carrying out development works. The EDMC requires at least Rs1,200 crore annually to disburse salaries and old-age pension apart from other financial work, officials said.