The Hindu : New Delhi News : MCD overlooked in streetlight issue, says BJP

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Feb 04, 2005

New Delhi

New Delhi

MCD overlooked in streetlight issue, says BJP

By Our Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI, FEB. 3. Accusing the Delhi Government of intruding into the functioning of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), the Bharatiya Janata Party councillor and the civic body's Standing Committee Member, Vijender Gupta, today said the State Government's decision to hand over all of Delhi's streetlights to private power distribution companies was in gross violation of the provisions of the Delhi Municipal Corporation Act.

Recently the Delhi Government had decided to hand over maintenance of the streetlights to the two private power companies and a Memorandum of Understanding on the issue was likely to be signed soon, said Mr. Gupta, adding that under the new arrangement all the streetlights being operated by the MCD would also go these companies.

"Ironically, of over 300,000 streetlights that will be handed over to the private hands, around 2.87 lakhs belong to the Corporation. Despite the fact that the majority of streetlights were that of the MCD, the Delhi Government did not even bother to seek clearance from the Corporation. This is not only an encroachment in the functioning of the civic body, but it will also hurt the Corporation's financial interest as it will have to cough up more money to these private companies for maintenance and upkeep," alleged Mr. Gupta. Terming the Delhi Government's arbitrary and one-sided decision as "unfortunate", Mr. Gupta has written to the Municipal Commissioner, Rakesh Mehta, not to give clearance to any such proposal without getting it approved as per the provisions of the DMC Act failing which the executive wing of the Corporation would be responsible for the consequential financial losses.

Mr. Gupta has demanded that the MCD administration should also ensure that all the surplus staff that would be rendered jobless after the agreement was not removed. These employees should be absorbed. He also demanded that a committee consisting of the representatives of private companies and the Corporation should be constituted to ensure transparency in purchase of spares and other items besides regulating effective streetlighting mechanism in the Capital.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

New Delhi