The Delhi government has ordered a crackdown on the civic bodies for “lack of cleanliness.” The move is likely to trigger a face-off between the AAP and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) since the civic bodies are largely controlled by the latter.
Notices issued
Responding to the directive of Health and PWD Minister Satyendra Jain, the district magistrates have so far issued 178 notices under Section 133 of the CrPC to the officials of the three Municipal Corporations, asking them why their respective blocks have “unsatisfactory cleanliness and hygienic conditions”.
The move comes four days ahead of a two-day “special” Assembly session in which the Delhi government will discuss the output of the three Corporations on the state of the city’s sanitation.
The government expects that the corporation officials will provide “reasonable explanations” for their remiss regarding sanitation in their areas. If their answers are not rational enough, the government might take legal action against them.
However, the BJP dispensation isn’t enthused by these notices. South Delhi Mayor Subhash Arya said that those were ways to “take control” of the Municipal Corporations. “ Dhalaos are cleaned twice a day. But the notices have been sent for the garbage which was found dumped in the afternoon, before it was removed and taken to a landfill site,” he said.
He said that the Delhi government had no power to issue them notices
As many as 178 notices have been issued to the three civic bodies for unhygienic conditions
