The BJP may have grabbed control of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) through every possible ploy, but its internal tussles between Mayor Raja Iqbal Singh and Standing Committee Chairperson Satya Sharma are now making the people of Delhi suffer. The Standing Committee meeting scheduled for 24 September, for which the circular and agenda had already been issued, was abruptly cancelled due to these differences, as pointed out by AAP Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the MCD Ankush Narang.
Pointing to the lack of decisions in committee meetings, MCD House LoP Ankush Narang stated, “Till now, none of the meetings of the Standing Committee have been able to take any major decisions for the people of Delhi. On crucial issues like landfill sites and revenue, Mayor Raja Iqbal Singh bypassed the committee and, in collusion with officials, took decisions directly on his own. The rule is that all revenue matters must come before the Standing Committee.”
However, he pointed out, “The Mayor is consistently bypassing the committee, taking decisions himself and placing proposals directly in the House. The Mayor has sidelined the Municipal Corporation of Delhi’s (MCD) Standing Committee even from all revenue matters. The BJP, which earlier raised questions when the committee was not formed during the Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) government, is now stalling the work of Delhi’s people because of its own internal conflicts.”
Highlighting how little the Standing Committee has worked, Ankush Narang said, “Since the Standing Committee was formed, only three meetings have been held, and no significant decisions have been taken in them. Only old pending matters continue, and no new matters have come up. On the issue of Asteroid Shelters Private Limited, the BJP favoured a builder from a private housing committee. The Mayor brought this issue directly to the House, even though it included matters of removing MCD’s dumpyard and the DEMS office. But instead of waiting for the Standing Committee, the Mayor directly took it to the House.”
Referring to the user charges issue, the MCD House LoP added, “The BJP had said that the matter of user charges would be brought to the Standing Committee. AAP protested against this. Under pressure from AAP, the user charges issue was brought straight to the House, and the BJP managed to get it passed there.”
He further added, “The BJP deliberately delayed the underground passage issue and then passed it later. Allegations are being raised that BJP leaders are working only for their own benefit. No new matters are being brought into committee meetings. Even the issue of concessions went directly to the House, whereas it should have come to the Standing Committee since it was a revenue matter. The landfill issue should also have come to the Standing Committee, but it too is being sent directly to the House.”
Attacking the Mayor’s functioning, Ankush Narang said, “The Mayor has left no role for the Standing Committee. Continuous allegations are being levelled against the BJP that their Mayor and the Chairman of the Standing Committee are working only to fill their own pockets. Because of this, the people of Delhi are suffering heavy losses. The BJP has pushed aside the citizens of Delhi, even though the people, with their expectations, gave 48 seats to the BJP in the Assembly and handed them the government of Delhi. The MCD and the central government are also under BJP.”
Drawing attention to the state of the city, Ankush Narang said, “There were expectations from BJP’s so-called four-engine government that the MCD would perform excellently, but instead, the BJP has turned Delhi into a garbage dump. Garbage is found everywhere. Cases of malaria, chikungunya and dengue are rising rapidly. The BJP has no plan and pays no attention to the MCD. The allegation is that the BJP is focused only on filling its own pockets.”
