BJP Mayors blame AAP govt. for woes

Our oxygen is being turned off, says North Delhi Mayor

Newly-elected Mayors of Delhi, Harsh Malhotra (East), Subhash Arya (South) and Ravinder Gupta (North) being felicitated at a function in New Delhi on Wednesday.- Photo: Sandeep Saxena

Everything from financial crunch in the corporations to the lack of development in unauthorised colonies could be traced to the “negative” attitude of the Delhi Government, the Mayors of the three BJP-led municipalities said on Wednesday.

Speaking at an event organised by NGO Delhi Study Group here, North Delhi Municipal Corporation Mayor Ravinder Gupta said: “Our oxygen is being turned off. The Aam Aadmi Party Government has such a negative attitude towards us.”

Mr. Gupta, who met Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal last week and Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Wednesday, said the Delhi Government had not made any assurance for solving the funds crunch.

“Mr. Kejriwal wants his government to take over the corporations in two years. But, we will not give up. We will keep working to get what is due to us,” said Mr. Gupta.

The event, organised by former BJP MLA Vijay Jolly’s NGO, included a dialogue with members of the public. On being asked about the lack of basic amenities in Sangam Vihar, South Delhi Municipal Corporation Mayor Subhash Arya said the civic body was not allowed to carry out any work in an unauthorised colony.

“We try to do our best with the sanitation work in unauthorised colonise as no development funds can be spent there. The local councillor cycles throughout the ward for two hours in the morning to check everything,” said Mr. Arya.

The North and East civic bodies have been struggling to pay salaries for months, while the SDMC is slightly better off. Mr. Gupta said if the State Government gave the corporations their share of Delhi’s taxes and other grants that are due, then the crisis would be solved.

East Delhi Municipal Corporation Mayor Harsh Malhotra said: “The Kejriwal Government allowed Rs.1,800 crore to lapse in the last financial year, but didn’t give us what we are due. The EDMC’s whole budget is Rs. 2,400 crore.”

He added that the Centre’s Smart Cities initiative would require inputs from the municipal corporations. “A smart city needs to be corruption-free and clean. It means more than infrastructure. But, we are only thinking about how to pay salaries.”