L-G directs govt to release Rs 383 cr 'pending' to MCD
New Delhi: Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena has urged Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to release the Rs 383.74 crore due for two years to the city's municipal corporation under the heads of education, health and urban development, the L-G's office said on Wednesday.
Sharing a letter that Saxena wrote to Kejriwal, the L-G's office said on Twitter that he has asked for the release of the funds pending for the financial years 2020-21 and 2021-22 to the MCD.
Holding the funds "without any reason" is adversely impacting primary education and health in Delhi, the L-G said in his letter to the chief minister.
The issue of release of funds was a major point of tussle between the AAP and the BJP that ruled the three erstwhile civic bodies in the city since 2007.
"It has been brought to my notice that Rs 383.74 crore for the year 2020-21 and 2021-22 under the plan heads of urban development, education and medical have not been released to the MCD by the urban development department of the Delhi government," Saxena said in the letter.
As against the revised budget estimates approved for Rs 3,768.64 crore under the said plan heads during the financial years 2020-21 and 2021-22, only Rs 3,384.90 crore were released, resulting in a shortfall of Rs 383.74 crore, the letter pointed out.
The L-G's office also shared figures of the revised estimates, the funds received and the shortfall amount.
The maximum shortfall was Rs 212.29 crore under the head of education, Rs 115.19 crore under medical and Rs 56.26 crore under urban development.
"The grant is specially for operation and development of infrastructure related to schools, hospitals, dispensaries, roads, footpaths, among others, which impact the daily life of the citizens of Delhi," the L-G said.
He also pointed out that the budget estimates for the MCD were approved by the Assembly and it was incumbent upon the urban development department to release the funds to the civic body on time.
It was also cited in the letter that the funds were "unfairly" withheld by the Delhi government's urban development department, despite several requests from the MCD.
"In the larger interest of the citizens of Delhi, I request you to ensure that Rs 383.74 crore for the financial years 2020-21 and 2021-22 unfairly withheld by the urban development department are made available to the MCD at the earliest," the L-G said in his letter to Kejriwal.
The revised estimate for 2020-21 was Rs 2,380.36 crore, of which an amount of Rs 2,076.72 crore was received and the shortfall was Rs 303.64 crore. In 2021-22, the revised estimate was Rs 1,388.28 crore, the receipt was Rs 1,308.18 crore and the shortfall Rs 80.1 crore.
