Govt directs NrDMC to suspend proposal to hike Councillor Development Fund

New Delhi: The Delhi government's Urban Development department wrote to the Commissioner of North Delhi Municipal Corporation (NrDMC) on Thursday regarding its proposal to increase the Councillor Development Fund from the existing Rs 25 lakh to Rs 1.5 crore.

The letter states that Urban Development Minister Satyendra Jain has ordered the department to "issue directions to North DMC to suspend the Councillor Development Fund altogether till the economic situation becomes normal".

The letter further adds that this proposal is "beyond imagination" at a time when even the "MP and MLA development funds have been suspended due to an unprecedented economic crisis because of the COVID-19 pandemic". Moreover, the letter also states that all three Municipal Corporations of Delhi "are not making payment of salary to their staff on time taking the plea that they are facing a financial crunch".

In response to this letter, NrDMC Mayor Jai Prakash said: "The Delhi government wants to divert people's attention for political gain. Every year, under various heads, about Rs 1 to 1.5 crore are spent in each ward over sanitation, health, education and other issues. What we have done is simply to move this amount into individual councillors' funds so that they also feel personally invested in the development of their ward. This affects councillors not just from the BJP, but also from AAP and Congress. Apart from that, the final authority to suspend this fund rests not with the Delhi Government but with the North Delhi Municipal Corporation House, specifically, Leader of the House".

Meanwhile, AAP's MCD in-charge Durgesh Pathak said that the AAP-led government has directed the MCD not to increase Councilor fund from

Rs 25 lakh to Rs 1.50 crore.