NEW DELHI, February 7, 2024—Former Leader of the House in the MCD and Congress Incharge of the Corporation Shri Jitender Kumar Kochar said that the Mayor usurping the financial powers of Rs 1500 crore to her discretionary account by slashing funds from different departments amounted to making a mockery of the elected House, as this decision should have been taken by the entire House in the absence of formation of the Standing Committee and the Ward Committees.
Shri Jitender Kumar Kochar said that it was shocking that multiple amendments were passed during the MCD’s Budget discussion to give at Mayor Shelly Oberoi’s disposal a discretionary fund of Rs 1500 crore from the earlier amount of Rs 10 crore, which she can arbitrarily spend as she pleases, which was illegal.. He said that it was shocking that most funds allocated to different committees in the MCD, including the Standing Committee, have been diverted to the Mayor’s discretionary fund, which was an unlawful act, and the Congress party strongly opposes this illegal decision. He said that cutting the development funds of Delhi’s unauthorized colonies and rural areas, and increasing the discretionary fund by the Mayor, is totally anti-poor.
Spokesperson Shri Anuj Attrey said that the MCD had totally neglected the rural areas of Delhi, without doing even the basic development works, though the MCD has been imposing heavy tax burden on the poor villagers, who have been harassed both by the Delhi Government and the MCD. He said that neither the ruling AAP nor the main Opposition BJP have bothered to address their problems.
