In its budget for 2017-18, passed in February, the East Delhi Municipal Corporation announced that it will set up an English medium school in each ward, science clubs in primary schools, and centres where illiterate parents of students will be taught. The budget also provided for a web based app to track student info, recruitment of yoga teachers, life insurance of Rs 1 lakh per student—up from Rs 50,000—, a crane to lift and clear abandoned cars, open air gyms in municipal parks, over a lakh of LED street lights, and digital process for issuing general and factory trade licences. Also mentioned were two diagnostic centres with collection facilities in every dispensary. There were other things also—toilet blocks for women, mobile toilets, and CCTVs. The budget slashed conversion charges for residential properties under 41.81 square metre from Rs 192 per sq metre to Rs 100.
All this, when the EDMC has no funds, not even to pay salaries. It was a Rs 2,000 crore deficit budget. The idea, clearly, was to woo voters in an election that is turning out to be campaigned hot and contested keenly. And in keeping with that, the value of promises made was way more than what the Delhi government had provided for development works, to all the 3 corporations put together.
Ironically, the garbage dumping all over the place and the strike by sanitation workers who did not receive their salaries, were not seen worth addressing and as something that would actually make a difference to the people.
The EDMC standing committee chairman Jitendra Chaudhary was an angry man then. He charged the Delhi government with not cooperating with the civic bodies. “The government owes the EDMC about Rs 5000 crores as recommended by the Delhi Finance Commission,” he said.
But Manish Sisodia, the finance minister of Delhi government asserted they are committed to support the municipal corporations. “We have been in touch with them constantly, telling them to increase their resources and rationalise their expenditure. We said so in the assembly, while presenting the budget as well” says Sisodia.
The AAP government, in its budget 2017-18, allocated Rs 7571 crores –15.8 % of the total budget—to the local bodies. This was also about 15 % higher than the previous financial year. And, “in view of the poor financial position” of North and East Municipal Corporations, the government did not deduct the principal and interest of the outstanding loans of 2015-16 and 2016-17, from these grants.
The three corporations that come under the MCD—North Delhi MC, South Delhi MC and East Delhi MC—have similar complaints. They were created when the MCD was trifurcated, for better delivery of civic services and to give more people representation, in 2012. Like the EDMC, the others too are facing financial crunch.
While the South Delhi MC, catering to affluent people who pay higher taxes, the other two municipal corporations are the poor cousins. The municipal corporation of north includes localities in West Delhi, and so is the biggest, according to the Election Commission. The one in charge of civic amenities in East Delhi, which includes most of the unauthorised colonies of the capital, has to constantly battle with more civic work and less funds.