‘MCD siphoning off education funds’

Suri added that while a grant of about Rs 500 crores for education under the head ‘XL-VII’ had been made by the Delhi government to the MCD to construct more school buildings and staircases,install water tanks and make arrangements of fire safety in MCD schools. “Yet a big chunk of the funds was spent on things that have no relation to education,” he told the MCD House.

Suri’s list had eight instances of fund ‘mismanagement”,which included an expenditure of Rs 14 lakh towards building staff quarters in Seelampur,apart from paying salaries to the MCD staff.

The MCD receives education grants from the Delhi government in installments. For the current fiscal year,MCD Commissioner K S Mehra said the MCD will receive total Rs 530 crore. In January,however,the MCD Standing Committee said it will add another Rs 570 crore from its exchequer,taking the total amount to be spent on education to Rs 1,100 crore. There is no way the MCD can spend the amount by March 31,when the current financial year ends,Suri added.

“Several crores have been bungled this way. The MCD has not spent money to construct new school buildings or connect schools with Internet,something it had promised earlier,” said Suri. The MCD has been similarly inflating its estimated income for the last few years,he added. In 2008-2009,the agency had estimated an income of Rs 4,981 crore,when the actual income was just 63 per cent of the target. In 2009-2010,they estimated an income of Rs 5,843 crore,but managed to earn just 62 per cent of the target.

The BJP then accused the Congress of trying to tarnish its image by making false claims. It also drew attention to the alleged bungling of funds during the Commonwealth Games last year.