India News | Filed PIL Seeking Detains of Fund Given by Delhi Govt to Civic Bodies, Its Expenditure: Cong Leader

New Delhi, Jan 22 (PTI) Delhi Congress vice president Abhishek Dutt said on Friday that he has filed a PIL in the Delhi High Court seeking details of funds provided by the city government to the three municipal corporations and its expenditure by the civic bodies.

At a press conference, Dutt said the BJP, which has been ruling the municipal corporations for the past 13 years, had stated in its manifesto for the 2017 civic body polls that if the Delhi government does not pay the funds due to them then it will get the same from the Centre.

"Currently, the plight of the municipal corporations is that neither the Central government, nor the Arvind Kejriwal dispensation has been giving any fund to them," he claimed.

This is "severely hampering" payment of salaries to frontline corona warriors who risked their lives to work overtime during the COVID-19 lockdown and thereafter, the Congress leader said.

The BJP and the AAP have been involved in a war of words, with the latter alleging "corruption and mismanagement" at the civic bodies. The BJP leaders have been protesting for some time claiming that dues of Rs 13,000 crore is owed by the Delhi government to the municipal corporations.

Dutt, who is also a councilor and leader of Congress in the South Delhi Municipal Corporation said he has has sought "true and complete detail" of the revenue collected by the Delhi government through taxes and grants, the funds paid by it to the civic bodies and the manner in which the municipal corporations have spent it.

"The funds over which the AAP and BJP are fighting is the money of the people of Delhi. The AAP says they have paid all due funds to the MCDs while the BJP leaders are claiming due of Rs 13,000 crore. Amid this mess, the Delhiites are being made to suffer," Dutt said.

In his PIL, Dutt has also sought a detailed forensic examination and audit of the financial dealings and affairs of Delhi Government and the civic bodies by the CAG.

Dutt said frontline workers such as doctors, nurses, paramedics, sanitation workers and teachers, have been sitting on dharna demanding their salaries.

"But the MCDs and the Delhi government, have been trading charges against each other, without paying any heed to the demand of the corona warriors."

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)