Top MCD officials may get summons

NEW DELHI : Day One of the Delhi Assembly’s winter session was mired in disruptions as Aam Aadmi Party legislators and the Opposition sparred over the ongoing sealing drive in the city. Marshals had to be called in to take the Opposition BJP MLAS out of the House.

Soon after the House was convened, the ruling AAP MLAS rushed into the well of the House, demanding a discussion on the drive against properties that allegedly violate municipal norms. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLAS, on the other hand, raked up the issue of an alleged delay on the government’s part in changing the land use of 351 roads across the national Capital.

The din forced the Speaker Ram Niwas Goel to adjourn the House four times in a span of just two hours.

After the fourth adjournment, when the House resumed at 4:15 pm, deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia accused the BJP of “extorting” money from the traders in the name of sealing drives and conversion charge.

“The BJP is running away from a discussion because they have cheated the traders. They are extorting money through sealing drives. They do not want traders to do business,” Sisodia told the House.

SUMMON MCD COMMISSIONERS

AAP MLA from Greater Kailash Saurabh Bharadwaj urged the Speaker to summon the commissioners and chief accountants of the three municipal corporations in the Assembly on Wednesday. He said that the commissioners should inform the House of how the MCD spent around ₹1,000 crore that was allegedly collected as conversion charges over the past 12 years.

“Through RTIS it has come to our knowledge that they have diverted this money (collected as conversion charge) in the name of fake loans. A resolution will be tabled tomorrow, if other MLAS agree to the proposal,” Bharadwaj said.

Chandni Chowk MLA Alka Lamba also hit out at the BJP, alleging that it had been collecting conversion charges for over 10 years, but was not issuing receipts to traders.

OPPOSITION PROTESTS

After being marshalled out of the House, Gupta said, “The mike of BJP MLAS was switched off again and again whenever they tried to raise the issue. Ultimately, the speaker forced us out of the House but allowed AAP MLAS to display banners.”