The Delhi Assembly on Friday debated the possible “dissolution” of the three municipal corporations and the need for fresh elections due to their alleged failure on all fronts.
AAP MLA Somnath Bharti moved a private members’ resolution over the issue, which he later withdrew on the advice of deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia who said any such move would amount to a “haste”.
Several AAP MLAs, including Alka Lamba, Bhavna Gaur participated in the discussion and slammed the civic bodies for their “inefficiency” in managing the day-to-day affairs.
Deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia identified the “failure” of the MCDs in ensuring cleanliness and collecting property tax, “which are their fundamental duties”.
“The Delhi government is doing its best to correct those fundamentals but I think it would be a hasty step to pass the resolution. Let’s see if the situation improves and our efforts bear fruit,” he said.
Leader of the the Opposition Vijender Gupta said the root cause of the precarious situation that the civic bodies find themselves lies in their trifurcation. “The financial viability was not kept in mind at that point,” Mr Gupta said.
“They never took loan but the debt has been imposed on them. And there should be a detailed discussion on the Fourth Finance Commission Report first,” he said.
Mr Gupta added that the resolution was a non-starter as the MCDs and their dissolution were issues that don’t fall in the domain of the Assembly.
Mr Bharti, who later withdrew the resolution, levelled charges of alleged encroachment on councillors. BJP MLA OP Sharma dared the government to hold elections in the vacant seats of the corporations before demanding fresh polls.
Ms Lamba questioned as to why the corporations had not recovered amount worth Rs 50 lakh from the DDCA. “24 schools have also been shut down due to their efficiency,” she said.
