Kejriwal stalls Vardhan’s chaupal make-over plan

 Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal stopped Union Cabinet Minister Harsh Vardhan’s project for renovation of <g data-gr-id="33">chaupals</g> in urbanised villages in his parliamentary constituency- Chandni Chowk. Vardhan has expressed his ‘displeasure’ and demanded to take back that anti-public order. 

Kejriwal government in a cabinet decision ordered to discontinue renovation of <g data-gr-id="27">chaupals</g> in urbanised villages in 2015-16 and advised Vardhan to get the work done by MCD.

“The decision of the government to curb the maintenance and reconstruction work of <g data-gr-id="38">Chaupals</g>, is thoroughly off base and against the public <g data-gr-id="32">interest,”said</g> Vardhan in a letter to Delhi Chief Minister. 

“Lakhs of people of urbanised villages will certainly be deprived of basic amenities. The Minister has resentfully demanded that Chief Minister should reconsider his orders on improvement, maintenance and reconstruction of <g data-gr-id="41">Chaupals</g> of urbanised villages and public places and cancel them immediately and issue the orders for maintenance of <g data-gr-id="42">Chaupals</g> of Delhi’s urbanised villages and to build new <g data-gr-id="43">Chaupals</g> in the villages as per the requirements,”said the letter to Kejriwal. 

While expressing his displeasure against the Kejriwal government to curb the funds for the year 2015-16 regarding the improvement and maintenance of <g data-gr-id="40">Chaupals</g>, the Minister asked Kejriwal that in his view such orders are very disappointing. Vardhan claims that he had ordered the concerned departments to prepare a detailed project of renovation only after intimidating the Chief Minister.

The matter came to light when Principal Secretary Urban Development Department of Delhi government, Narendra Kumar wrote a letter to Vardhan on May 16. “In a departmental intense review meeting taken by the Delhi Chief Minster along with the Council of Ministers on April 9, it has been decided that the Plan Scheme ‘Renovation, Reconstruction and Improvement of <g data-gr-id="44">Chaupals</g> in Urbanised villages’ be discontinued from the year 2015-16. I regret that the proposal of <g data-gr-id="45">Chaupals</g> pertaining to Urban Development Department may have to be <g data-gr-id="35">shelved,”said</g> Kumar in the letter. “However, it is suggested that the above works can be carried out through MP LAD fund being implemented by Municipal Corporation of <g data-gr-id="26">Delhi,”he</g> added.