AAP opposes SDMC's property tax hike plan

New Delhi: South Delhi Municipal Corporation's (SDMC) Leader of Opposition Aam Aadmi Party's Jitendra Kumar on Monday spoke on the revised budget estimates presented weeks ago — pointing out serious shortcomings with mediclaim policies for employees, lack of dispensaries, and poor sanitation facilities among other issues.

Kumar said even now, SDMC has not been able to provide cashless mediclaim facilities to its own employees. The councillor also spoke about the faulty and old equipment that many SDMC workers struggle to use such as fogging machines.

But most significantly, the AAP councillor vehemently spoke against the proposed hike in property taxes from FY 2022-23. "In the budget estimates presented by the Commissioner, many types of tax increases and concessions have been proposed. The opposition strongly stands against these proposals and demands that no such resolutions should be passed," he said.

He also praised the efforts of the civic body by complimenting the horticulture and engineering department for the new endeavours such as the beautification and management of SDMC parks and the usage of solar power respectively in the previous year. However, he criticized the agency on various fronts.

After Kumar's speech detailing AAP's response to the budget, Congress leader Suresh Kumar took the mantle to further discuss the matter during which he accused the Delhi government of not dispensing funds to the MCDs. The Congress leader was followed by Rajdutt Gehlot, BJP, who also attacked AAP and asked Jitendra Kumar to promise the Standing Committee that he will write to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal regarding the transfer duty tax that the Delhi Government levies on MCD, asking him to reduce it from 3 per cent to 1 per cent.

In the previous years, the response by the leaders of opposition was not followed by an immediate discussion by other councillors but due to the upcoming civic polls, the civic body is using a different approach. SDMC Standing Committee Chair Col. B.K. Oberoi has asked all SDMC employees to freely suggest any revenue-increasing initiatives. He said that he will put a box outside his office for anyone to send in their submissions.

Oberoi also said, "Let's find resources that will make us not dependent on the Delhi Government or tax."

Responding to the accusations by his fellow Standing Committee Members, AAP's Jitendra Kumar told the Millennium Post that it is obvious that they are clearly diverting attention from issues at hand and have no interest in actually bettering the

corporation.