The BJP on Wednesday accused the Delhi government of trying to paralyse the party-led municipal corporations in the city by using means such as stopping release of funds, reducing financial allocation or shutting Covid vaccination centres run by them.
In a joint press conference Delhi BJP chief Adesh Gupta, Leader of Opposition in the Delhi Assembly Ramvir Singh Bidhuri and BJP MP Meenakshi Lekhi also alleged that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in Delhi was crippling the civic bodies financially.
The three municipal corporations of Delhi (MCDs) are the South Delhi Municipal Corporation, the North Delhi Municipal Corporation and the East Delhi Municipal Corporation.
The Delhi government after “colluding with private health care facilities” has shut all Covid vaccination centres run by the MCDs, Mr. Bidhuri alleged.
“The MCDs were running 200 vaccination centres and over 10 lakh people were vaccinated there. But the government after colluding with private hospitals, shut all the MCD-run vaccination centres and now people are forced to pay for vaccine at private hospitals,” he said.
“Had the Delhi government provided us with vaccines in time, people would have got vaccinated for free at our MCD-run vaccination centres and would not have to go to private hospitals and pay for it,” Mr. Bidhuri added.
The BJP leaders also accused the AAP of holding “political grudges” against the three civic bodies.
“While in the past seven years the Budget of the Delhi government has increased from ₹37,450 crore to ₹69,000 crore, the funds allocated to the MCDs by the Delhi government last year decreased from ₹6,828 crore to ₹6,172 crore. This is a reduction of ₹656 crore within a year,” Delhi BJP chief Gupta said.
On the alleged fall in financial allocations to MCDs, he said, “Not only this, where earlier as per the third Delhi Finance Commission, the Delhi government was giving 16.50% share of the tax to civic bodies. Now, as per the fifth Delhi Finance Commission, MCD’s share has been reduced to 12.50% only.” This way the AAP government has been using funds as a means to “torture” the MCDs since 2015, Mr. Gupta said.
He accused the Delhi government of discriminating against municipal corporation officials.
While the Delhi government is giving ₹1 crore as compensation to families of its employees who died due to Covid, it is playing “politics” on the death of “corona warriors” of MCDs, Mr. Gupta alleged.
“At least 111 MCD employees have lost their lives in the past one year. This includes doctors, paramedical staff, teachers and other workers. It is sad that the Arvind Kejriwal government has refused to consider them as ‘corona warriors’ and have not paid any compensation to them so far,” he said.
The BJP leaders accused the Kejriwal government of not providing oxygen, personal protective equipment kits and other necessary Covid-essentials to hospitals run by the municipal corporations.
