Amid monsoon woes, LG to probe use of MLA funds
THE ACTION COMES ON A COMPLAINT FROM CONGRESS SECY ABHISHEK DUTT, ALLEGING NON-UTILISATION OF ₹10CR BY MLAS
NEW DELHI: The office of the lieutenant governor (LG), VK Saxena, decided to scrutinise all projects carried out under the MLA LAD (local area development) funds in 2023-24 and 2024-25, after the Congress lodged a complaint about nonutilisation of funds amid ongoing civic crisis and deaths due to waterlogging in monsoon.
The LG office, in an order by LG’s special secretary Harleen Kaur on August 12, directed the additional chief secretary of urban development, Manish Kumar Gupta, to submit all details of the MLA-LAD fund scheme, modalities of utilisation, progress reports and audits within five days.
On August 2, All India Congress Committee secretary Abhishek Dutt submitted a plea to LG Saxena to form a committee to probe the utilisation of MLA LAD funds in Delhi. “The entire city is affected due to flooding after just one rain resulting in damage to property, loss of life and creating a situation of distress and panic among all... It is concerning that each MLA will receive a discretionary fund which is about ₹10 crore every year for their respective constituencies... these discretionary funds allocated to MLAs are intended for the improvement of sewage, drains, and water pipelines which have not been properly utilised leading to major civic issues. If these funds were properly used, the current dire situation on ground could have been avoided,” the complaint said.
Delhi MLA LAD fund, a discretionary fund available to each legislator for development works, for each lawmaker was raised from ₹4 crore to ₹7 crore in December 2023. An amount of ₹100 crore was provisioned in the revised estimates of the 2023-24 budget.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) termed the probe “obstructive tactics” deployed by the LG in a “desperate attempt” to derail Delhi’s development.
In a statement, AAP said, “Even though more than ₹4,000 crore was allocated to DJB for water and sewer works, complications were created by the LG’s favourite officers. Most of the works of DJB were crippled. The DJB was not allowed to relay sewer lines, replace sewer lines, de-silt sewer lines, install new water lines, tubewells etc.”
The party said that similarly, more than ₹500 crore allocated to the mayor fund under the Municipal Corporation of Delhi could also have been used for these works, but was obstructed by officers under the LG.
The AAP said, “There is no one stopping audit of the MLA LAD funds, the regular process of audit naturally happens for all the works under the government. We welcome any inquiry, however, it should not affect the works of the people.”
Delhi Congress chief Devender Yadav welcomed the probe, calling for facts about the fund utilisation to be revealed, saying “most of this money seemed to have been siphoned off without executing any development works.”
Delhi BJP spokesperson Praveen Shankar Kapoor said that it was shocking to note that ruling party MLAs were not using LAD funds on withered roads, depleted sewers and drains across the city that need immediate repairs. “Strangely, 62 ruling party MLAs are not attending to these issues and allowing their funds to lapse,” he said.