Congress unveils plan to restructure MCD

NEW DELHI: With an eye on MCD polls, Delhi Congress on Monday came out with a detailed roadmap to revive the financial condition of the MCDS, claiming that the Congress will make the “financially-ailing Corporations self-reliant” in two years if voted to power.

Delhi Congress president Ajay Maken said “property tax collections in all the three Municipal Corporations will remain unchanged. According to the 4th Finance Commission report, only one third properties are eligible to come under the tax net. The collected Rs 1,600 crore as property tax is just 33 percent of the potential.”

“Delhi could be self- reliant if there is no corruption and pilferage of resources like revenue from toll tax, property tax, advertisement charges. The roadmap on fiscal management and resource generation to make civic agencies financially self-reliant,” Maken alleged. “We will keep aside Rs 2,000 crore per year for development of infrastructure deficit areas particularly slums and unauthorised colonies. It would create special funds for the development of unauthorised colonies, so as to ensure development works do not suffer due to shortage of funds.

It will improve the financial situation of the Corporation within two years after coming to power by improving tax collection, as presently due to corruption and inefficiency, the tax collection of the MCDS has been dismal. A survey conducted by the Sri Ram Institute reveals that the toll tax collection by the MCDS should be Rs 1922 crore per year, whereas the MCDS could collect only Rs 350 crore, which has now gone up to Rs 500 crore.