Opinion Battlefield Delhi

Two of the three municipal corporations in Delhi have gone on strike to protest delay in the disbursement of salaries.

The confrontation between the BJP and the AAP, the ruling parties at the Centre and in Delhi, has found a new arena. Over 1.2 lakh workers on the rolls of two of the three municipal corporations in Delhi have gone on strike to protest delay in the disbursement of salaries. The state government blames the BJP-ruled corporations for misappropriation of funds, while the latter accuses the AAP administration of holding them back. With garbage piling up in city streets, a health hazard looms. The agencies involved — the state government, corporations and the Centre — have sought to pass the buck instead of addressing the core issues.

Delhi’s unique power-sharing arrangement puts a significant part of the onus to resolve the issue on the Union government. At the same time, the Modi government has invested a lot of political capital in urban governance. The Swachh Bharat Abhiyan (SBA), for instance, which seeks to ameliorate India’s abysmal record in sanitation and general cleanliness in public spaces, has been a showpiece project. The focus is also on sanitation and solid waste management in the Smart Cities Mission (SCM). In this context, the stink rising from Delhi’s streets and the breakdown of essential public services, including healthcare and education, belie the Centre’s commitment to the SBA and SCM. Of course, there are legacy issues that date back to 2012 when the Municipal Corporation of Delhi was trifurcated, and before the AAP came into existence. While the south corporation was vested with affluent colonies and neighbourhoods enabling better tax collections, the poorer bodies of the north and the east fell back in terms of revenue generation. The east corporation, for instance, came into existence with a Rs 450-crore deficit that was to be provided for by the state government, which the latter defaulted on. The state government also did not pay its tax share and transfer money to the corporations from the municipal reforms fund. The Centre, for its part, cut grants and allocations to the state government, compelling the latter to reduce support to the corporations.

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A one-time Central grant or loan may be needed to address the current funds shortage. In the long run, however, revenue generation and distribution must be streamlined, which may call for redrawing the present corporation boundaries. Delhi has multiple governments which work at cross purposes. This must end if the city is to become smart.