‘MCDs losing revenue worth over Rs 1200 crores annually’

The survey was conducted by Shriram Institute for Industrial Research to ascertain the minimum reserved price for collection of toll-tax from commercial vehicles in the city. The institute came out with the figure of Rs 1,574 crores annually on the basis of the number of commercial vehicles that pass through various entry points across Delhi.

The BJP-led municipal corporations have denied the figures as ‘fictitious’ and ‘baseless’. Subhash Arya, leader of house in South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) said, ‘These are fictitious figures. These people must have counted all the vehicles that pass through the entry points, while we only charge tax from commercial vehicles.’

Interestingly, the institute was hired by the civic authorities’ themselves. The total cost of this entire exercise was Rs 25 lakhs. It was also agreed at the high-level meeting of civic officials, headed by Dilraj Kaur, additional commissioner of North Delhi Municipal Corporation, that the figures for reserve price are correct.