Rs 27-cr annual plan outlay for Delhi

NEW DELHI, August 3: The Planning Commission has sanctioned Rs 2,700 crore as the annual plan outlay for Delhi for the year 1998-99, a go...

NEW DELHI, August 3: The Planning Commission has sanctioned Rs 2,700 crore as the annual plan outlay for Delhi for the year 1998-99, a good 15.8 per cent higher than last year8217;s approved plan size of Rs 2,331.73 crore.

Delhi Chief Minister Sahib Singh Verma said this at a media conference here today after a meeting with Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Jaswant Singh. Delhi Chief Secretary Omesh Sehgal, principal secretaries planning and finance and other senior officials from the local bodies were also present at the meeting.

The crucial meeting, usually held before the presentation of the state budgets, could not be held earlier this year due to the Lok Sabha elections. The Delhi government had fixed its current year8217;s plan size at Rs 2,681.16 crore taking a Central Plan Assistance CPA of Rs 296.73 crore and additional Central Plan Assistance for Externally Aided Projects EAP of Rs 85 crore.

Verma, however, added that the Capital needed more money for various developmental projects, particularly those concerning the provision of basic amenities to unauthorised colonies and slum clusters as these places had not been developed in a planned manner.

An annual population influx of six lakh coupled with the mushrooming of unauthorised colonies, he rued, was putting immense pressure on the infrastructure that was meant for the rest of the population of Delhi. In addition, health campaigns like Safe Motherhood and Pulse Polio and upgrading the city8217;s municipal and urban infrastructure also needed more funds, he said.

8220;Since Delhi had an unplanned growth, we demanded unplanned allocation of funds as well,8221; the Chief Minister said in a lighter vein.

Besides demanding implementation of the Centre8217;s assurance to write-off all liabilities of the Delhi Vidyut Board DVB when it was handed over to the city government, Verma also sought substantial aid for slum development.

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Maintaining that the over 1,500 unauthorised colonies in the Capital should be counted along with the 1,100 slum clusters while giving developmental aid, he said that Delhi should be granted the status of a megalopolis for the same purpose as its problems were compounding.

Verma also demanded permission for market borrowing, which has been denied to Delhi as it hasn8217;t been granted full statehood yet. In a state, it is the governor who stands as a guarantor and the state government raises funds privately. Since Delhi didn8217;t have one as yet, the President could help, he suggested. The Chief Minister also lamented that Delhi was yet to get its share of Octroi collections affected before its abolition in Delhi and the funds gathered through the Voluntary Disclosure of Income Scheme.

The government, Chief Minister assured, would lay emphasis on its plans of providing basic amenities to unauthorised colonies, doubling vegetable and food production, opening another university and a engineering college for girls, economic upliftment of the poor and expanding health campaigns.