The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has hit out at the BJP for arm-twisting MCD (Municipal Corporation of Delhi) officials into imposing garbage collection user charges on Delhiites—despite an explicit order from the Mayor to withdraw the notification. MCD officials have reportedly admitted they are being pressured by BJP leaders to push the levy through house tax mechanisms.
Slamming the move as the latest in a series of anti-people decisions—from power outages to soaring private school fees—AAP’s MCD in-charge Durgesh Pathak warned of statewide protests if the user charge order is not scrapped immediately, calling it a “conspiracy to loot Delhiites.”
Addressing a press conference on Tuesday, senior AAP leader and MCD in-charge Durgesh Pathak said, “Ever since the BJP came to power in Delhi, they have been looting the people. First, they started cutting electricity and benefiting power companies. Then they forced private schools to hike fees. Now their evil intentions have turned towards the MCD.”
The MCD In-charge further added that everyone in Delhi knows that the MCD Commissioner is appointed by the BJP’s Lieutenant Governor (LG). Without any consultation with the Mayor, House, or political parties, the MCD Commissioner has imposed user charges on Delhi residents — a garbage collection fee ranging from ₹50 to ₹250 per household.
Durgesh Pathak continued, “During the AAP’s tenure in MCD, we had stopped any attempt to impose user charges. Our Mayor had taken all necessary steps to ensure this. Yet, on Sunday, the Commissioner suddenly issued a notification imposing these charges, without bringing any proposal to the House or informing the Mayor.”
“On Monday, Delhi Mayor Mahesh Khichi issued a detailed directive instructing the Commissioner to withdraw the user charges immediately. But the BJP is continuously pressuring the Commissioner to implement them. Our conversations with several officers revealed that there is enormous pressure from the top to enforce user charges through the house tax system,” he asserted.
“In the last House meeting, we passed a proposal to provide major relief on house tax in Delhi, but the notification has not been issued. The Commissioner is sitting on that file. The Mayor, Deputy Mayor, and Leader of the House are relentlessly fighting to get that notification implemented for the benefit of Delhi residents,” Durgesh Pathak said.
The senior AAP leader noted, “On one hand, under Arvind Kejriwal’s leadership, the AAP is providing free electricity, 20,000 litres of free water, and house tax relief. On the other hand, the BJP is increasing school fees, cutting electricity, worsening water supply, and allowing roads to deteriorate. In Rajinder Nagar, street lights haven’t worked for days due to unpaid electricity bills. For the last two months, the BJP has been solely focused on loot. They have no interest in serving the people of Delhi.”
“We appeal to the MCD Commissioner to think about the people of Delhi, not succumb to BJP’s pressure, and immediately withdraw this notification. If not, the AAP will launch a massive protest across Delhi. We will go door to door and expose the BJP’s betrayal,” warned Durgesh Pathak.
Echoing this, Delhi Mayor Mahesh Kumar Khichi stated, “The Commissioner and MCD officials have imposed user charges under Solid Waste Management and linked them to house tax. These charges will be collected annually along with house tax, which is completely wrong. We strongly oppose this move. People are already burdened by taxes and inflation. Adding another charge is unjustifiable. Since the BJP took over in Delhi, school fees have increased and inflation is out of control. I ordered the Commissioner on Monday to immediately revoke the user charge notification.”
The Delhi Mayor pointed out that when tenders are given to concessionaires, they are instructed to collect garbage from every household. But garbage is not being collected. The MCD lacks the required resources. “If you can’t provide services, you have no right to impose charges. Former CM Arvind Kejriwal had clearly stated that his government would not burden people with new taxes. We want to follow that vision and serve the people, but the BJP and the Commissioner are acting against public interest. They must work for the people,” he asserted.
Mahesh Kumar Khichi further said, “This proposal has existed since 2016, brought in by the BJP-led central government. Back then, even as opposition councillors in MCD, we strongly opposed it, arguing that no taxes should be levied until full services are provided. The BJP was in charge of MCD during that period. We’ve only been in office for two years — why is the BJP now blaming us? We demand the immediate withdrawal of these user charges to avoid adding extra burdens on the people.”
Meanwhile, Deputy Mayor Ravinder Bhardwaj condemned the move, saying, “User charges go directly against public interest. We strongly oppose this. This is purely the result of the BJP’s dirty politics. They have no intention of protecting the interests of Delhi residents. The user charge itself is wrong and the process used to introduce it is even worse.”
“No proposal was brought to the House, no discussion was held, and it wasn’t brought to the attention of the Mayor. The Commissioner implemented it behind closed doors. As soon as we found out, the entire MCD team and all AAP leaders began protesting. We demand that the Commissioner immediately withdraw these charges,” stated the Deputy Mayor.
Leader of the House Mukesh Goel added, “This is a dictatorial decree issued by the Commissioner against the people of Delhi. The law under Solid Waste Management was made by the central government in 2016, but it clearly states that user charges can only be levied once garbage is being collected from every household. It is the concessionaire’s responsibility to take waste from homes to sanitary landfill sites.”
“But even today, 90% of Delhi’s population relies on private cleaners. So why this betrayal of Delhiites? You talk about charging for services you don’t even provide. Start by collecting garbage from every household. Today, there are heaps of garbage all over the city because private concessionaires are failing. Garbage isn’t being picked up, yet loot in the name of user charges has started. This is a direct assault on Delhi residents,” said Mukesh Goel.
He further added that the House Tax Department has now linked with the DEMS Department, so from April 1 to June, those who pay house tax on time are shown user charges higher than the actual tax. “On Monday, we received hundreds of calls from residents asking what this new charge is. That’s how we found out. The Commissioner did not speak to us, did not bring a proposal to the House, did not inform councilors or the Mayor — just issued a dictatorial order,” said the Leader of the House in MCD.
Mukesh Goel asserted, “All of this is happening at the behest of the BJP. Since the change in government, schools have deteriorated, private school fees have skyrocketed, and inflation has crushed the common man. LPG cylinders, promised at ₹500, have gone up by ₹50 more. Petrol and Diesel prices have increased by ₹2. And now, they are looting people twice over — once through private garbage collectors and again through user charges.
“What fault lies with the people of Delhi? First, fix your resources and infrastructure, then bring it to the House for discussion. Only when all services are provided to every resident should this even be considered. This move is not about serving the people — it’s an attempt to shirk responsibility and burden Delhiites with taxes. Our entire party strongly opposes this. Honest citizens of Delhi who want to pay house tax on time will be discouraged if user charges are linked to it. This will reduce house tax recovery and deprive residents of the benefits of early payment discounts. It’s a calculated conspiracy to harass Delhi’s people,” concluded Mukesh Goel.
