New Delhi, Aug 2 (PTI) The mayors of the three municipal corporations in Delhi jointly met Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal on Monday and sought his intervention in seeking release of funds "due" to the civic bodies from the city government.

During the hour-long meet at the Raj Niwas, the three mayors also raised various civic issues and shared their visions on the ongoing vaccination drive against COVID-19.

North Delhi Mayor Raja Iqbal Singh apprised Baijal about the financial condition of the North Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC).

Singh said the "precarious financial position" of the NDMC was inherited as a legacy, with trifurcation of the erstwhile unified Municipal Corporation of Delhi in 2012.

Being the largest corporation, area-wise, and comprising six zones and having to maintain six major hospitals coupled with the fact that most of the area under the NDMC is lesser developed, the situation warrants more expenditure on maintenance of civic amenities too, and it is a "herculean task" to maintain a balance, Singh was quoted as saying in a statement issued by the north corporation.

Over the years, this balance has deteriorated and now we are "on the verge of collapsing", he said, adding that the budgetary grant received from the Delhi government is "highly inadequate" to restore the same.

He said the NDMC is not able to disburse salary, pension and retirement benefits regularly to its employees because of the "extreme paucity of funds".

The Covid-induced lockdowns have further worsened the situation of financial distress and if no assistance is extended by the government of Delhi at this juncture, it will "prove fatal" to the civic body, Singh said.

The North Delhi mayor claimed that funds to the tune of Rs 6,253 crore was due from the Delhi government as on July 30.

The recommendations of the Fourth Delhi Finance Commission were not implemented and those of the Fifth Delhi Finance Commission were not accepted, causing big loss to the NDMC, he alleged.

Mayor Singh also claimed that grant-in-aid under non-plan and plan heads for the second quarter of the financial year 2021-22, amounting to Rs 611.31 crore, has not been released by the Delhi government to the NDMC yet.

He requested the lieutenant governor (L-G) to intervene in this matter for an early solution, by directing the Delhi government to release the remaining grant of Rs 611 crore.

South Delhi Mayor Mukesh Suryan and East Delhi Mayor Shyam Sunder Aggarwal also raised the issue of financial conditions of the two civic bodies -- South Delhi Municipal Corporation and East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC) -- and sought intervention of L-G Baijal in seeking release of funds "due" from the city government.

Aggarwal said he also appealed to the L-G to ensure greater number of vaccination centres in Delhi, at least one in each ward.

The EDMC has 64 wards under its jurisdiction, while NDMC and SDMC have 104 wards each in their jurisdiction.

"Many people have to travel out of their wards and take longer distance to get the jab. The Delhi government should open one vaccination centre in each ward, at least," Aggarwal said during his interaction with the L-G.

The East Delhi mayor also submitted a letter dated July 30 to Baijal, with a few suggestions on issues such as illegal construction, selling of meat in markets and encroachment.

(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)