BJP gears up for Janata Adalats from June 1

• Delhi govt. deliberately  stalling development works of MCD
• BJP leaders in MCD slam Delhi govt for attempts to cripple MCDs

New Delhi, May 30 :   The Delhi Bharatiya Janata party today released schedule of Janata Adalats to be organised by 140 BJP councillors all over the city from June 1. With this, the party has fulfilled one of its major promise of bringing administration to the doorstep of people. The BJP councillors will also be providing in these public hearings an “Admission Information Booklet for Delhi University”  which has been brought out by Delhi BJP to help the students seeking admission in DU.

Addressing a joint press conference today along with the mayors, leaders of the house in MCDs and standing committee chairpersons, Delhi BJP President Shri Vijay Goel said,” The BJP has fufilled its promise and would continue with its efforts to provide better and responsive administration at the municipal level.”

“However, the Congress government in Delhi has adopted an approach where it’s single point agenda seems to be stalling  the development work  to be done by the MCD.”

“The Congress government in Delhi for stalling the developmental works in unauthorised colonies by not allowing councillors to spend their money in these colonies. It is also discriminating against 583 unauthorised colonies  on government land,” he added.

“If funds allocated to MPs and MLAs can be spent here, why Delhi government is not allowing councillors to spend their funjds in these colonies?  This is unacceptable to the BJP as it affects lakhs of residents of the Capital,” Shri Goel said.

The BJP leaders from the MCD informed that a delegation of BJP leaders from all three MCDs had met Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit recently. The leaders said that there is a concerted attempt by the Delhi government to cripple BJP ruled MCDs.  It has stopped giving funds worth Rs 75 crore for rural area development and Rs 25 crore for urbanised villages every year. The funds provided for the unauthorised regularised colonies is also being provided as loan, it should have been provided as grant.

In fact, the Delhi government has not honoured its commitment at the time of its trifurcation to make MCDs loan free. Today they are reeling under a debt of Rs 1700 crore. It has failed to honouts commitment of providing support to bridge the financial gap from 2004-12 when MCD shifted its House Tax regime to unit area method. The Delhi government has failed to meet its commitment to the MCD to provide support of Rs 100 crore annually in lieu of Octroi abolition.

The Delhi govt has taken away all roads whose width is 60 feet or more and providing a fund of Rs 600 crore for its maintenance to PWD. These constituted 40 per cent of the roads maintained by MCD which is overall provided only Rs 70 crore for the maintenance which is a clear indication how discriminatory Delhi govt’s policies are and how it is trying to cripple MCDs.

The BJP will not relent till the councillors funds are allowed to be spent in these colonies.  The BJP leaders lamented the fact that the Chief Minister and Urban Development Minister Arvinder Singh Lovely are indulging in petty politics which is hurting lakhs of residents in unauthorised colonies

The BJP leaders also pointed out that the Delhi government has adopted highly discriminatory policies on regularisation of 583 unauthorised colonies which exist on government land.  These are the colonies which would be notified for regularisation after charging land value and penalty in phased manner.  But what is shocking is that unlike the unauthorised colonies on the private land, these colonies have been asked to bear the burden of making layout plans too. There is not even a single RWA in Delhi which can bear this kind of expenditure.

Another additional condition of having a six metre wide road has also been added for regularisation of these colonies. All the colonies which were regularised before this did not have this condition? This is a clear attempt to stall the regularisation of these colonies by Delhi government.

Shri Goel said, “It is sad to see that while the Delhi government can splurge hundreds of crores of rupees on its hoarding campaign, it is not ready to give funds which are due to MCD for development.”

He along with other BJP leaders from the MCDs demanded that the Congress government should immediately allow councillors to spend their funds, apply similar rules for all unauthorised colonies and initiate development work in these colonies on the ground. They also demanded that the delhi govt. should stop its concerted efforts to financially cripple MCDs.