Funds for work in 1,731 new colonies

Presenting the Budget on Thursday, leader of the House Inderjeet Sehrawat announced that the amnesty scheme for property tax defaulters will be extended.

The South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC), in its proposed budget for the 2022-23, has decided to provide ₹5 lakh to councillors to take up development works in 1,731 unauthorised colonies regularised by the Centre under the Pradhan Mantri – Unauthorised Colonies in Delhi Awas Yojana, and announced building more parking facilities.

The South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC), in its proposed budget for the 2022-23, has decided to provide ₹5 lakh to councillors to take up development works in 1,731 unauthorised colonies. (Representational image/HT Archive)

Presenting the Budget on Thursday, leader of the House Inderjeet Sehrawat also announced that the amnesty scheme for property tax defaulters will be extended.

The Aam Aadmi Party, which is the main opposition, slammed the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over the Budget, saying the document is the “living proof of the hollow promises made by the ruling party”.

Leader of the opposition and AAP councillor Prem Chauhan said the Budget did not have any proposals for the welfare of the employees, steps to curb corruption and there was no mention of the projects announced in the previous years.

Sehrawat listed several upcoming parking projects. “The construction of a parking facility with capacity to accommodate 399 cars at Greater Kailash-1 Market and another to accommodate 86 cars in Nizamuddin is in full swing. The tender process to construct a parking facility for 238 cars at GK-2 Market, for 81 cars at Amar Colony and 225 car capacity lot at Punjabi Bagh (near cremation centre) has also been started. Besides, land for construction of parking facilities at Punjabi Bagh Club Road and B-1 Janakpuri has been identified,” he said.

Announcing extension of the deadline for waiver of interest and penalty under the property tax amnesty scheme till March 31, Sehrawat added that the House has not accepted a proposal to hike property tax. “Six new applications have been developed for property tax, birth and death registration, general trade license, factory trade license, health trade license and mobile attendance for corporation employees,” he said.

Sehrawat also said that four pressure swing adsorption oxygen plants have been set up.

He said the House has proposed to increase the budget for moral education from ₹15 lakh to ₹25 lakh in SDMC primary schools, and give bicycles to 10 meritorious students (five girls and five boys) of Class 3.

Chouhan, however, said the Budget was nothing more than a bundle of false promises. “They have never cared for their employees in the last 15 years. Despite making tall promises, their contractual employees are yet to be regularised. Due to their corruption, people will show them the doors in the civic polls in April this year,” he said.

In a scathing attack on the alleged rampant corruption in the civic bodies, the AAP councillor said, “By failing to provide any suggestion or policy to combat the continuing corruption in the corporation in the Budget, the BJP-ruled MCD has shown that all of this corruption is taking place under the protection of their leaders.”