BJP collects taxes from only 2,300 of the 14,000 properties, resulting in a loss of 16,000 crores for the MCD: Durgesh Pathak
There are 8,486 properties in South MCD from which arrears worth Rs 1,200 crores have to be recovered, but the MCD has only collected Rs 70 crores: Durgesh Pathak
BJP-ruled MCD can recover about Rs 6,000 crores from property tax, but it is collecting merely 5-10% of the arrears; rest of the money is squandered at the hands of BJP’s councillors and leaders: Durgesh Pathak
If timely action had been taken by the BJP to collect penalties for the violation of regulations, it would have made the MCD self-sufficient: Durgesh Pathak
Supreme Court Monitoring Committee’s report exposes BJP’s 15 year-long misgovernance and incompetence: Durgesh Pathak
BJP must take accountability for the findings of this report and explain where the money was squandered: Durgesh Pathak
The skewed manner in which the BJP has tried to retain power in the MCD for a while longer should be stopped; immediate elections must be held: Durgesh Pathak
NEW DELHI:
Exposing yet another one of BJP-ruled MCD’s scams, AAP Senior Leader and MCD In-Charge Shri Durgesh Pathak stated – A big revelation has come to light in the Supreme Court’s Monitoring Committee report: the BJP-ruled MCD is able to collect only 5 percent tax because of flagrant corruption by its councillors. The BJP collects taxes from only 2,300 of the 14,000 properties, resulting in a loss of 16,000 crores for the MCD. There are 8,486 properties in South MCD from which arrears worth Rs 1,200 crores have to be recovered, but the MCD has only collected Rs 70 crores. The BJP-ruled MCD can recover about Rs 6,000 crores from property tax, but it is collecting merely 5-10% of the arrears, and rest of the money is squandered at the hands of BJP’s councillors and leaders. If timely action had been taken by the BJP to collect penalties for the violation of regulations, it would have made the MCD self-sufficient. Supreme Court Monitoring Committee’s report has exposed BJP’s 15 year-long misgovernance and incompetence. The BJP must take accountability for the findings of this report and explain where the money was squandered. The skewed manner in which the BJP has tried to retain power in the MCD for a while longer should be stopped and immediate, free & fair elections must be held.
AAP Senior Leader and MCD In-Charge Shri Durgesh Pathak said, “Thanks to BJP’s incessant misgovernance and incompetence, the MCD now stands for Most Corrupt Department. It has been named so by the people of Delhi themselves, and I believe that this title has been proved in the report submitted by the Monitoring Committee set up by the Supreme Court. This report has just been published, and its findings are both appalling and expected, and hold a mirror to the misdeeds of the BJP-ruled MCD over the past 15 years. The MCD currently has a deficit of Rs 16,000 crores. The Monitoring Committee has prepared a report concerning the collection of all the various penalties imposed by the MCD. This committee was first instituted back in 2006, consisting of 3 people, and was revived in 2017. Since then, through 2017 and 2018, the committee has conducted extensive on-ground research and prepared this report.”
Elaborating on the findings of the report, he continued, “This report states some clear examples – In the 16th point, it is noted that there are 14,000 from which penalties are to be collected, out of which the MCD only completed 2,300 collections amounting to Rs 730 crores. If all the 14,000 penalties are collected, the MCD will be able to source some 5-6,000 crores, but the rest of the money is being wasted away. The report further states in paragraph 23 – ‘There is tremendous potential of recovery of penalties if timely action had been taken by the MCD for the violation of rules and regulations. Recovery of these amounts would have made the MCD self-sufficient.’ It goes on to say that misuse of property, and lack of timely action has also taken a toll on infrastructure, increased traffic, and affected the environment of Delhi as well. Most importantly, the report has gone on to say – ‘If the agencies are honest in collection of charges all over Delhi, then the amount hence recovered will be more than sufficient to run the local bodies in an honest and efficient manner without creating a ruckus for inefficient funds’ – meaning that had the MCD been honest in its collection of penalties, it would not need any additional money to run smoothly, while fairly paying all of its employees. There are 8,486 properties in just South MCD from which arrears have to be recovered. The total of this amounts to Rs 1,200 crores, out of which the MCD has only collected Rs 70 crores. Similar is the trend in all other areas where the MCD is recovering or collecting merely 5-10% of the arrears which is due. The rest of the money is squandered at the hands of the local councillors and bodies. This amount should ideally fall into MCD’s vaults, but falls prey to corruption by the BJP councillors and leaders and ends up in their accounts instead.”
Shri Durgesh Pathak stated, “While the Aam Aadmi Party’s demands and allegations directed towards the BJP-ruled MCD can be considered political for the most part. However, politics aside, I ask the people of the BJP – what is your response to these shocking findings by a Monitoring committee instituted by the Supreme Court. Clearly, you are at a loss for an accountable answer. Your only response now is to propose the merger of the three MCDs as a solution to all issues. However, if we go by this report, dividing or uniting the MCD makes no difference on the functioning. The crux of the problem is that the Bharatiya Janata Party has been running the MCD for the past 15 years in such a corrupt manner, that instead of being a Municipal Body, it has now been branded as the ‘Most Corrupt Department’, and rightly so. These are not political allegations by the Aam Aadmi Party but facts and findings by the Supreme Court instituted committee. I believe that the skewed manner in which the BJP has tried to retain power in the MCD for a year or two more should be stopped. Immediate elections must take place in the MCD and the people of Delhi should be given the choice to decide who they want in the MCD. After this report, I am even more convinced that the BJP has no right to remain in the MCD without a free and fair election. In the past 15 years, the BJP has wreaked havoc on Delhi’s civic body, squandered thousands of crores of money, and left it defunct and in ruins.”