Congress deploys Chidambaram to offer MCD 'revival' plan

Betting big on the coming Delhi local body elections, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi brought in former finance minister P Chidambaram to present a blueprint for the “economic revival” of the three municipal corporations in the national capital.

Elections for 272 municipal wards are likely to be held in April. 

Buoyed by municipal bye-poll results last year in which Congress had won seats where it had no presence traditionally, Rahul is aiming to make inroads into the BJP-ruled bodies. Over the past two years, Rahul’s aide and Delhi unit chief Ajay Maken claims to have covered a lot of ground by taking up issues affecting both residents and workers in municipal corporations.

On March 7, the Congress vice-president will address a rally of workers at Delhi’s Ram Lila grounds to prepare the Delhi unit for the local body polls.

“The current leadership is bankrupt with regard to fiscal sapience that is required to bring out the Municipal Corporation of Delhi from the current mess,” said Chidambaram while launching the draft plan.

 “While a local street vendor, a housewife or a businessman knows how to maintain a balance between expenses and income, the BJP-ruled MCDs have failed to attain this basic understanding,” he said.

The budget allocation for the municipal corporations of Delhi was increased from Rs 5,908 crore to Rs 5,999 crore last year.

Aiming to place the interest of residents supreme, the Congress wants to generate Rs 2000 crore per year for development of infrastructure deficit areas, like the unauthorised colonies and the slums. The voters in these areas had shifted enmasse to the AAP in 2015 assembly polls leaving the Congress managers worried.

With total pending arrears of Rs 1,559.19 crores in the three MCDs, the Congress wants timely payment of wages and arrears of sanitation workers, who have been hitting the streets over the issue. 

Health for all, restoring and enhancing monthly pension to Rs 2,500 to 2.25 lakh needy persons at the rate Rs 800 per ward by spending Rs 675 crores per year, improving education, protecting street vendors, the Congress aims to bring transparency in the management of these local bodies by reforming the tax collection and advertisement functions.