BJP slams CM Arvind Kejriwal for remark on civic bodies

New Delhi: A day after chief minister Arvind Kejriwal released a video statement blaming civic bodies for poor sanitation, Delhi BJP, which is ruling the civic bodies for last 10 years, said that the AAP chief is levelling unfounded allegations of misappropriation of funds against the civic bodies.

The Delhi BJP said that the three municipal corporations look after sanitation services on internal colony lanes or small approach roads while all major roads of 60 feet and above are under the PWD of the Delhi government.

The party claimed that most of internal lanes are cleaned every day, smaller approach roads too are sanitised well and garbage removed regularly despite the fact that the outflow of garbage is very high in internal lanes. On the contrary, a mere travel around on any road under PWD shows heaps of garbage piled up on sides on footpaths or central verge.

“The situation of road sanitation and of cleaning of drains is equally poor, be it from Alipur Road to MG Road near Chhatarpur or from GT Road Seemapuri to Dwarka. Situation is so poor on PWD roads that we can find mounds of garbage piled up on footpaths or central verge, horticulture sections outside the Supreme Court of India or Delhi’s deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia’s residence opposite Pragati Maidan,” said Delhi BJP general secretary  Ravinder Gupta.

In a video released on Thursday, Mr Kejriwal told Delhiites that maintaining sanitation and cleanliness in the city was the responsibility of the BJP-ruled municipal corporations but it has “failed” miserably on that front.

“Name one state government of the BJP or Congress that has done similar work in two years as the AAP government. The BJP and Congress have in MCD for the past two decades. Let them name even one work that they have done, which can be termed outstanding. You (people) also think about it and recall one,” said Mr Kejriwal in the video. Another general secretary, Rajesh Bhatia, said that biased denial of funds has resulted in repeated breakdowns of civic services during last few years and stalling of maintenance development works and social welfare works due to lack of funds. 

“In fact, it is the Congress government, of which present Delhi Congress president Ajay Maken was a part too for a spell as minister between years 2000 to 2014, who repeatedly delayed formation of Delhi Finance Commissions authorised to decide upon Municipal Funds allocation. In fact, Arvind Kejriwal has just followed the dirty plot designed by Sheila Dikshit and Ajay Maken around 2002 to deny proper funds to Municipal Corporation with political bias,” alleged Mr Bhatia.