In the past 14 years, BJP has completely destroyed the MCDs of Delhi through rampant corruption: Durgesh Pathak

NEW DELHI: September 30,2020: Senior Aam Aadmi Party leader and MCD in-charge Durgesh Pathak on Wednesday said that BJP-ruled SDMC has decided to put compensatory regulatory charges and to put charges on any program held at the vacant plots. He said that these decisions will affect the lives of traders and the people of unauthorised colonies. He also said that Delhi BJP chief Adesh Gupta and the mayors must intervene and rollback such inhuman decisions to hike these taxes.

Pathak said, “The COVID-19 pandemic has affected the lives of the people associated with the business. Instead of giving any kind of relief to these people, the Bharatiya Janata Party is harassing them. The Bharatiya Janata Party ruled municipal corporations of Delhi are continuously increasing taxes which are affecting the lives of the traders and businessmen. In the past 14 years, the Bharatiya Janata Party has completely destroyed the MCDs of Delhi through rampant corruption. To hide these corruptions the BJP is hiking the taxes.”

He said, “Earlier the Bharatiya Janata Party ruled SDMC hiked various taxes. The North MCD and the EDMC also tried to hike various taxes but due to the protest from the Aam Aadmi Party, they could not hike the taxes. Now the SDMC has again brought several tax hike proposals. Today they have placed the tax hike proposals at the standing committee meeting. They have planned to put compensatory regulatory charges. So now if someone wants to build a house of 50 sqm then you will have to pay Rs 38,000 extra. For a 100 sqm area, you have to pay extra Rs 1.30 lakh. Similarly, for houses of 150 sqm area, you have to pay Rs 2 lakh extra. At the same time for the industrial area for 50 sqm area, you have to pay Rs 80,000 more, for 100 sqm area you have to pay Rs 2.70 lakh more and for 150 sqm area you have to pay around Rs 4 lakh extra. For agricultural land, you have to pay Rs 12.84 lakh extra.”

Pathak said, “We all know that in the unauthorised colonies of Delhi people from Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and other states stay. For any family function, they do not have the money to book community halls or banquet halls, therefore, they use various vacant plots for the family programmes. The SDMC has decided to put a tax on the vacant plots too. If the plot is of 500 sqm then the SDMC will charge Rs 15,000 per programme. If the area is of 500-1000 sqm then Rs 25,000 would be charged and for 1000-5000 sqm the charge would be Rs 50,000 followed by Rs 1 lakh for a bigger area.”

Pathak said, “The Aam Aadmi Party believes that the Bharatiya Janata Party has gone crazy. The Bharatiya Janata party has become blind due to their pride of power. Yesterday when the Aam Aadmi Party leaders raised such questions then the councillors were suspended. I want to request the BJP not to stoop down to this level during the time of the pandemic. Delhi BJP chief Adesh Gupta and the mayors must intervene and rollback such inhuman decisions to hike these taxes. We will protest this issue inside the house and outside too. The Delhi government is ruling the city without hiking any taxes but despite assurance from former Delhi BJP chief Shri Manoj Tiwari the MCDs are hiking the taxes every day.”