The BJP-ruled South Delhi Municipal Corporation has not disbursed pensions on time for 16 months despite having over Rs.1,200 crore in its bank accounts, the Opposition Congress alleged on Monday.
While the North and East civic bodies have been plagued by a financial crisis, the SDMC has maintained that it is not facing a crunch.
However, the civic body currently owes its 80,000 beneficiaries pensions for five months. The last backlog was cleared in December 2015.
At the meeting of the House on Monday, the ruling-BJP announced that it would be giving three months’ pensions this week.
This, however, did not go down well with the Congress, which demanded that six months’ pensions be released together. The House was adjourned after the Opposition created a ruckus.
‘Deliberate delay’
Later, Leader of the Opposition Farhad Suri said that the BJP was deliberately trying to delay pensions so as to take advantage next year – when the general elections to the three corporations are held. Each councillor gets to give a monthly pension of Rs. 1,000 to 750 widows, senior citizens and differently-abled people in the ward. It has widely been accepted by politicians that these pensions are used to sway votes. “The BJP may be trying to influence voters next year by withholding pensions till before the elections, and then releasing a big sum in one shot. Giving people Rs.12,000 or more in one go could affect the vote,” said Mr. Suri.
Dismissing the SDMC’s stand by saying that the Delhi government was not giving it money for pensions, Mr. Suri mentioned that the municipal corporation had Rs.1,208 crore in six bank accounts at the end of 2014-2015.
“They have the money, why are they not giving pensions?” asked Mr. Suri.
The Leader of the House Subhash Arya, meanwhile, refused to comment on the allegations. When asked about the funds, Mr. Arya said: “I will not comment on something I have not heard myself”.
However, he said that three months’ pensions would be disbursed by the end of this week. With by-polls to 13 municipal wards, including seven in SDMC, scheduled for May 15, the disbursement of pensions could be seen as a last-minute gesture.
