Delhi government hits out at MCD over unauthorised colonies

NEW DELHI - The Congress-led Delhi government Monday hit out at the Bharatiya Janata Party-run Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) for the delay in drafting of layout plans of unauthorised colonies, saying at this pace the process will never be completed.

Replying to a motion on Property Tax in Unauthorised colonies and Urbanised Villages moved by legislator Mukesh Sharma in the Delhi assembly, state Urban Development Minister A.K. Walia said levying property tax in such areas by the civic body makes no case.

Later, the motion was adopted unanimously by voice vote in the assembly in the absence of opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders, who have been expelled from the house for three days.

Speaking about regularisation of unauthorised colonies, Walia said: “They (MCD) are only interested in making allegations against the Delhi government. They also must understand that 97 percent of the capital’s area comes under their jurisdiction.

Walia said the MCD has returned the layout of only six colonies, from the total of 700 for which the city government sent drawings.

“With this pace, the regularisation process will never be completed. The onus lies on the MCD to finalise layout plans so that Delhi government could approach the high court for regularisation of colonies,” he added.

The minister said the MCD has been taking recourse to blaming the city government to suppress its failures while the Congress government has never involved itself in politics.

He said the civic body has been collecting property tax from 9 lakh dwellings in the city “but have no interest in providing civic services as the entire system of the MCD has collapsed and there is no maintenance of roads, parks and colonies, including unauthorised colonies”.

Initiating a debate on the motion, Sharma had earlier stated that the issue is directly related to those 40 lakh people who are staying in unauthorised colonies and urbanised villages.

The BJP-ruled MCD and Congress-led Delhi government are always at loggerheads and look for opportunities to show each other down. The issue of unauthorised colonies with a vote bank of over 40 lakh has always pitted the two sides against each other.