New Delhi: SDMC Mayor Sunita Kangra on Thursday called on LG Anil Baijal to seek his intervention in averting financial crisis of SDMC. She also handed over a detailed letter justifying SDMC's claim for the release of funds as per recommendations of the 5th Delhi Finance Commission and halt implementing the devolution of funds with retrospective effect as decided earlier by the third DFC in the year 2008.
Kangra stated that Delhi government has decided to recover Rs 275.46 crore by implementing the recommendations of 5th DFC with retrospective effect. It may be pertinent to note that Rs 1,832.59 crore non plan and plan fund together released in the year 2016-17 has been drastically cut to meager Rs 781.84 crore in 2019-20. In the plan fund, 5th DFC made recommendation of Rs 1,555.70 crore but Delhi government has allocated only Rs 617.70 crore and that too has not been released fully as per the existing norms for the release of first installment. The major expenditure of SDMC which used to be Rs 2,198.87 cr in 2012-13 is expected to go up to Rs 4,880.00 cr in 2019-20.
She added that after curtailment of funds, it will be difficult for SDMC to release salary and pension to its employees and it will not be in a position to take care of its obligatory functions like sanitation, control of vector borne diseases and maintenance of drains etc.