The Hindu : New Delhi News : Sheila’s demand to put MCD under Delhi Govt. criticised

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Dec 24, 2007
ePaper

New Delhi

New Delhi

Sheila’s demand to put MCD under Delhi Govt. criticised

Staff Reporter

Vardhan describes it as “contempt of the Constitution”

‘Sheila wants to shift the responsibility of her failures to other civic bodies’
‘This is in direct violation of the policy followed by former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi’

NEW DELHI: Delhi Bharatiya Janata Party president Harsh Vardhan has described as “contempt of the Constitution” Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit’s demand to bring the Municipal Corporation of Delhi under control of the Delhi Government.

Tendency

In a statement, Dr. Vardhan said the demand was clearly indicative of the Chief Minister’s tendency to put the blame for lack of development on other civic agencies even as her own Government was putting up a poor show in developmental issues.

“The Chief Minister’s stand that she cannot carry out developmental work unless the MCD and the Delhi Development Authority was under her Government is proof of her inability. By saying that the DDA makes only erroneous plans also means that she is accusing Union Urban Development Ministry of failure,” he added.

According to Dr. Vardhan, Ms. Dikshit wanted to shift the responsibility of her failures to other civic bodies.

“The Chief Minister has said that the rationale for dividing the MCD is because of the inefficiency of ‘multiple agencies’. In fact, this is in direct violation of the policy followed by former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi who had worked towards strengthening Municipal Corporations and Gram Panchayats by making amendments in the Constitution. Even Mahatma Gandhi was of the view that a country could be strengthened only by strengthening its local bodies,” he said.

An “election tactic”

Calling this move an “election tactic”, Dr. Vardhan said it was instead the Delhi Government that had committed repeated goof-ups and was now trying to placate the public just before the Assembly polls.

Recently, a letter by Ms. Dikshit to Mayor Arti Mehra that had been leaked to the media had Ms. Dikshit writing that the civic body’s failure on all counts was responsible for the pitiable state of roads and sanitation in most parts of the Capital.

Sufficient funds

The Mayor, on her part, had penned a reply stating that most of the neglected roads in Delhi came under the purview of the Public Works Department. “A large number of roads are maintained by the PWD that has sufficient funds at its disposal for their upkeep. Even so, debris and mud is dumped on these roads. By attempting to bring the MCD under control of the Delhi Government, the Chief Minister is usurping the right that the civic body has been bestowed by the DMC Act, 1957,” the Mayor said.

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

New Delhi