Delhi Govt hampering functioning of MCD: Delhi Mayor

New Delhi, Dec 19 (UNI) Describing as "baseless and politically motivated" Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit's allegations of a perceptible decline in road maintenance and sanitation around roads and berms in MCD areas, Delhi Mayor Arti Mehra today said the Delhi Government was hampering the functioning of the Municipal Corporation through unnecessary criticism and "arm twisting".

''Delhi Government is in a position where it can unnecessarily criticize the MCD for no rhyme or reason. It is taking advantage of its position rather than enabling the civic body to discharge its function more effectively,''Ms Mehra told reporters here a day after she recieved the letter from the Chief Minister on the decline in the standard of road maintenance in the city.

Descibing the CM's allegations as "unsubstantiated", the Mayor said, ''she says that there is perceptible decline in the standard of road maintenance. She alleges that there is construction material, debris, mud, garbage heaps on roads as well as road berms. But in the entire letter she has not named even a single road where such conditions are prevailing. She has also not clarified, since when the 'perceptible decline' started.'' The Mayor said that it was unfortunate that the letter of the Chief Minister addressed to the Mayor was leaked to media even before it could reach her.

''It is against ethics ''she said pointing out in this context that she had written a number of letters to the Chief Minister on various issues pertaining to Delhi Government and MCD, but she never passed these letters to media as has been done in the present case.

''The graceful relation between two heads of the institutions should be maintained at all costs. However, it is regretted that it was not done in this case,''she said.

The Mayor said that it appeared that the Chief Minister has kicked off the political campaign for Assembly election slated in 2008.

''She is preparing background for bringing bad name for the ruling party in the MCD. This kind of political bullying of MCD cannot be allowed,''she said.

Ms Arti Mehra, alleged that the Delhi Government is in the habit of arm twisting MCD rather than introspecting its own functioning.

''Over the years Delhi Government has been converting grants into loan and its repayments, which is against the financial ethical principles. The two financial domains i.e. grants and loan should never be mixed. It is not understood, how the funds will be managed for civic services.

''Delhi Government's sole dream is to weaken MCD-- both administratively and financially and take upon itself the functions of municipality one by one. Infact, during the last nine years of the Congress rule, the pet dream of Mrs. Dikshit has been to weaken MCD by dividing it into smaller corporations and taking upon its various activities. Serious efforts have been made to bifurcate MCD, but for MCD's strong resolute, Delhi Government might have succeeded in its efforts,''she said.

UNI