Sisodia retorts, plan concrete, note being drafted to put before Delhi Cabinet soon
After Metro fares hike controversy, the Narendra Modi Government at the Centre and the Delhi Government are once again at loggerheads, this time over Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s plan to provide free Metro travel to women in the national Capital.
Taking a dig at Kejriwal, Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs Hardeep Singh Puri on Thursday said that the Delhi Government had not sent any proposal related to this scheme.
“Neither Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs nor Delhi Metro had received any proposal till date in this regard. Kejriwal has a different kind of problem. He announces a scheme first and then prepares a proposal,” Puri said, adding that Delhi’s problems will be fixed in the six months.
He was apparently referring to the upcoming Delhi Assembly elections next year and implying that the BJP will dethrone the Kejriwal Government. Puri was speaking after launching the Ministry’s sanitation ranking league for cities, Swachchh Survekshan League 2020.
Rejecting Puri’s charge, the Delhi Government said there was a “concrete plan” and funds for the proposal to provide free ride to women in public buses and Metro trains.
“The Cabinet note is being prepared to be put up before the Delhi Cabinet as soon as possible. All modes and feasibility are being studied by the DMRC and the daily transport departments and several meetings between the officials are also taking place. There are a number of meetings, which have taken place between the DMRC and Delhi transport department, and even at the moment, a search meeting is taking place to finalise the blueprint. The Government has the budget for such schemes,” said Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia.
Puri said to give ticketless travel or free travel to anyone on a bus, first the State Government needed to have a bus. “First, you have been sanctioned 11,000 buses. How many are there now?” he asked, referring to the number of buses operated by the Delhi Government.
“The Delhi Government has a budget of Rs 50,000 crore, which it has not used on the Centre’s Swachchh Bharat scheme or the Ayushman Bharat scheme but wants to give Rs 2,500 subsidy for free rides,” the Minister said.
Puri said that Kejriwal has a problem of a different kind. He gives a full page advertisement, announcing that the scheme will start in next two-three months, but they don’t have any proposal for it,” he said. “We will sort out Delhi’s problem. This phenomenon is here only for another six months. I have no doubt. These are people who came at number 3 (In the Lok Sabha elections). They are disruptionist,” he said.
In Parliament, Puri had earlier said that he wanted to give facility to senior citizens and students in Metro and following my direction, Delhi Metro was working on preparing a new technology. There should be some criteria for those girls and ladies, who are in need of help, Puri said.