JOIN USBJP seeks probe into spending on MLA scheme
City BJP chief Vijender Gupta on Wednesday demanded a judicial probe into the failure of the Delhi government to give accounts of expenditure of Rs 400 crore spent by its various agencies under the Legislator’s Local Area Development scheme.
“The Delhi government is directly responsible for failing to provide the expenditure details, and it should give people the account for each paisa spent out of Rs 400 crore. Since, the government will never do anything, we appeal to the Lieutenant Governor to order a judicial enquiry into this bungling,” said Gupta.
In view of special needs of the 70 Assembly constituencies in Delhi, the city government had started the Legislator’s Local Area Development Fund for providing basic amenities and upgrading the area concerned.
Gupta said all legislators get Rs 4 crore annually under this scheme to develop their areas. He said the city’s urban development department releases this fund since this department is the nodal agency.
“The urban development department has not forwarded the accounts of the expenditure from 2008 to 2011 to the Comptroller and Auditor General. The CAG has raised strong objection to it,” said the city BJP chief.
“Under this scheme, from 2008 to 2011, Delhi Jal Board was paid Rs 178.7 crore for providing clean drinking water in the Assembly constituencies. DJB has not accounted for the amount spent to the city government, whereas the DJB chairperson is the chief minister herself,” said Gupta.
He added that under the MLA LAD scheme, Rs 90 crore was paid to the New Delhi Municipal Council, but it has not accounted for fund utilisation for the last four years.
According to Gupta, DDA was paid Rs 60.72 crore from the Legislator’s Fund, but it has not provided details of expenditure to the government. “If an impartial enquiry is ordered, then many people will be caught for committing the bungling.
The BJP demands that the government ask the DDA to account for utilisation of this fund. If there is any bungling, then those responsible for it should be punished,” he said.