BJP demands Rs 45,000 cr spl package in budget for Delhi

New Delhi, Feb 20 (UNI) Making a wishlist for Delhi in a letter to Finance Minister P Chidambaram, state BJP President Harsh Vardhan has demanded a special package of Rs 45,000 crore in the general budget to make it a 'model city' of the country.

He also urged him to set up a Monitoring Cell to keep a check on the expenditures made from this allocation.

The amount could be spent to make basic amenities available to the 1600 unauthorised colonies and 364 villages in the capital, apart from improving the power situation, the sewerage system, transport and education, he said at a press conference here today.

''The Centre has doled out special packages for Vidharbha, North Eastern states, Jammu and Kashmir then why not for Delhi? Delhi being the capital and seat of the Central Government, reflects the image of India, and hence, it should be developed very fast,'' he said.

As the capital readies to host the Commonwealth Games in 2010, the development process must be put on fast track, he said.

Since Delhi is not a full-fledged State, the Centre must take the initiative with a special package and also monitor the expenditures through a Special body, he suggested.

''The Centre should monitor the use of funds so that the corrupt Delhi Government does not misappropriate them like it did with the Yamuna cleaning package,'' he said.

Dr Harsh Vardhan also urged the Finance Minister to allot additional funds to fight terrorism in Delhi.

He also urged the Finance Minister to provide additional funds to the Central Urban Development Ministry for constructing housing accommodation in NCR for the people who do not have houses of their own. The population of Delhi according to the Master Plan 2021 is 1.62 crore. ''As per the Government statistics, about five lakh newcomers settle in Delhi every year. Therefore, 40 per cent people in the capital do not have houses of their own,'' he said.

He also asked the Central Government to take initiative for multi-nodal transport in the capital as the Delhi Government has completely failed in this field.

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