Interfering8217; MLAs are taking away our rights: Councillors

NEW DELHI, February 15: Bedlam erupted in the MCD House today after councillors alleged that the MLAs were interfering in their work and ...

NEW DELHI, February 15: Bedlam erupted in the MCD House today after councillors alleged that the MLAs were interfering in their work and were trying to take away their rights. They also claimed that the MLAs treated them as subordinates and threatened them with dire consequences if they refused to do their bidding.

Asking the Mayor to convene a special session to draft a policy whereby the MLA8217;s interference could be stopped, they also demanded that councillors be provided with adequate security.

Independent councillor Dayanand Chandela set the ball rolling when he alleged that Finance Minister Mahender Singh Saathi was interfering in his work. He said that Saathi took out Rs 48 lakh from his councillor fund, in his name, without his consent. He added that the minister neither bothered to inform him or involved him in the developmental work which he was undertaking on his own.

As soon as he completed his statement, all hell broke loose with the BJP and Congress councillors trading charges. Some of the councillors also said that the MLAs, along with the municipal officials and the police, were trying to control them.

Nodding in agreement, Mayor Yog Dhyan Ahuja and leader of the House Shanti Desai said that they had received a similar complaint from a woman councillor this morning. Refusing to divulge the name of the councillor, Ahuja said that the councillor had complained that the Congress MLA who represented her constituency was inspecting her ward and had strictly instructed her not to join him.

Blaming MCD officials for the sorry treatment meted out to the councillors, leader of the House Shanti Desai said that if these officials worked in tandem with the members of the House, such a problem would never have arisen. He said that without the permission of the councillor concerned, the MLAs cannot carry out an inspection or any developmental work in their area. Desai further added that a meeting of the Wards Committee would be convened every week and all officers from that zone would also have to attend these meetings.

Admitting that some of his officials were to blame, Municipal Commissioner V.K. Duggal said that the councillors were ignored in several respects. He said that Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit was consulting Lt Governor Vijai Kapoor so that a policy could be formulated and a permanent solution be found. He suggested that the Mayor hold a special meeting with him, Desai and leader of the opposition Rambabu Sharma every 15 days so that such problems did not occur in future. He also suggested that the House frame a policy to safeguard the rights of the councillors.