The resolution to provide laptops to councillors in the very first House meeting of the three municipal corporations seems to be lost somewhere after over four months.
Erstwhile Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) had provided lap ops to all 272 councillors but none of the councillors in the present three corporations have been provided with the same so far. According to sources, the ruling BJP now feels it was a politically wrong step.
Shortage of funds has been cited as the main reason for the delay in the project, say insiders. Reportedly, the three corporations are under acute financial crisis and to proceed further in the laptop matter might backfire.
‘The leaders within the party are not eager to implement the scheme before the upcoming Delhi Assembly elections in 2013,’ said a senior BJP leader.
‘We will raise the issue in the next meeting of the House. The promise should be fulfilled,’ said Mukesh Goel, Leader of Opposition in North Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC).
When asked about the laptop scheme, most Congress councillors seemed to have almost forgotten about the issue.
‘They make announcements for publicity, without knowing the ground realities. The corporation does not have funds to give pensions and for other public welfare programmes, leave alone the laptops. We will certainly raise the issue in the next meeting of the corporation,’ said Farhad Suri, Leader of Opposition in South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC).