New Delhi, 8th January. In a press conference at Delhi BJP Office today BJP Delhi Pradesh President Shri Satish Upadhyay, Leader of the Opposition in Delhi Legislative Assembly Shri Vijendra Gupta, Mayor of SDMC Shri Subhash Arya, Mayor of EDMC Shri Harsh Malhotra and Mayor of NDMC Shri Ravinder Gupta have demanded that after the orders of Delhi High Court the Delhi Government should accept its responsibility of providing funds to the Municipal Corporations and provide required funds to all the three Municipal Corporations as recommended by the Fourth Finance Commission.
Pradesh General Secretary Shri Ashish Sood, Chairpersons of all MCD Standing Committees Shri Mohan Bharwaj, Shri Radhey Shayam Sharma, Smt. Lata Gupta and Media Incharge Shri Praveen Shankar Kapoor were also present in the press conference.
Shri Satish Upadhyay said that BJP Delhi has been demanding for the last one year to provide funds to the Municipal Corporations in accordance with the recommendations of the Fourth Finance Commission. We have staged demonstrations at the CM residence, Secretariat, Legislative Assembly and our MLAs, Councillors and party leaders met the Lt. Governor, Chief Minister of Delhi and Deputy Chief Minister of Delhi personally and demanded release of funds to the Municipal Corporations but due to political malice the Kejriwal Government not only disregarded all these demands but also created such circumstances due to which the services provided by the Municipal Corporations may be paralyzed.
Shri Upadhaya also said that it is shameful for the Delhi Government that it has put hurdled in the way of municipal services provided to the people of Delhi due to political malice and the citizen organisation and BJP leaders had to move the Delhi High Court in this regard and the Hon’ble High Court has issued orders in accordance with the constitutional provisions in view of the circumstances prevailing in Delhi.
Leader of Opposition in Delhi Assembly Shri Vijendra Gupta has said that Delhi Government tabled the report of the Fourth Finance Commission before the House in the last Winter Session and also accepted its recommendations but due to its anarchic mindset and political malice the Kejriwal Government added a condition that when the Central Government will allocate the funds then we shall release the required funds to the Municipal Corporations whereas there is no constitutional provision compelling the Central Government to release such funds.
Shri Vijendra Gupta said that under the provision of Delhi Municipal Corporation Act it is the responsibility of Delhi Government to provide funds to the Municipal Corporations and the way in which the Hon’ble High Court expressed its concern and time bound orders regarding the formation of Fifth Finance Commission it is confirmed that the Court has accepted that it is the responsibility of Delhi Government to provide funds to the Municipal Corporations.
Pradesh General Secretary Shri Ashish Sood has said that if Kejriwal government dose not convene special session of Assembly or dose not release funds to the Corporations within the next 4 to 5 days, Delhi Pradesh BJP will launch agitation against it.
Mayors of all the three Municipal Corporations Shri Subhash Arya, Shri Harsh Malhotra and Shri Ravinder Gupta have said that the Kejriwal Government has not only weakened the Municipal Corporations due to political malice but also tried to mislead the employees of corporations. They said that after the order of Hon’ble High Court, Delhi Government should be flexible and release funds to the Municipal Corporations as recommended by the Fourth Finance Commission.
Shri Subhash Arya said that when all the legal and administrative efforts did not succeed then some citizen organsations and a BJP leader moved the High Court highlighting the financial conditions of Municipal Corporations and after taking congnizance of these cases the Hon’ble High Court issued this order which is a slap on the face of Delhi Government.
Shri Harsh Malhotra said that it is regrettable that the Kejrewial Government did not hesitate in discriminating against East Delhi from where three Ministers of Delhi namely Shri Manish Sisodiya, Shri Kapil Mishra and shri Gopal Rai have been elected as MLAs. These Ministers did not take any interest in helping to ensure basic services like sanitation, primary health and primary education by the Municipal Corporations due to this political malice. Besides this the then Sheila Dixit Government and now the Kejrewal Government withheld the funds due to the EDMC which should have been released at the time of formation of this corporation.
Shri Ravinder Gupta said that Kejriwal Government has continuously played fraud with the people of Delhi for the last one year. The sanitation services were paralyzed and the Kejriwal indulged in dirty politics by directly talking to the Municipal employees without releasing any funds.
Shri Arya, Shri Malhotra and Shri Gupta said that after this order of the High Court the Delhi Government should immediately convene the Session of Delhi Assembly and accept without any condition the recommendations of Fourth Finance Commission and release funds accordingly.