Other authorities to blame for losses stated in our audit report, say SDMC leaders

New Delhi

New Delhi

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Stung by charges in an audit report that the South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) lost more than Rs 1,660 crore in the financial years 2013 to 2017 in cost overruns due to delayed projects and unrecovered property tax, its political leadership blamed other authorities for the mess.

Standing Committee Chairperson, Bhupender Gupta, said, “In the Purnima Sethi Hospital project of Kalkaji, plans were drawn up to make it a multi-speciality hospital with eight floors at a cost of Rs 30.95 crore. The Delhi government had promised to provide funds but later refused. This left us with no money to hire doctors and medical equipment and run the hospital.”

The BJP leaders said regarding charges of under-recovery of property taxes amounting to Rs 1177 crore, at least Rs. 600 crore was due from the Delhi Development Authority itself. “The announcement of Delhi Assembly in 2010 that no tax is payable in unauthorised colonies became detrimental to the collection of property tax,” said Kamaljeet Sehrawat, Leader of House, SDMC.

On expenses incurred in covering of a drain behind Defence Colony, Gupta said, “We had to stop the project midway because the National Green Tribunal ordered that drains must be left open for ecological purposes. So the loss incurred from not being able to build parking lots on the covered part must not be attributed to us.”