On Congress complaint, Delhi L-G office seeks details of MLALAD Fund scheme spending, AAP hits back

New Delhi: On a complaint from the Congress, the Delhi Lieutenant Governor (L-G) Secretariat has asked the Delhi government's urban development department to furnish within a week details of the MLA Local Area Development (LAD) Fund scheme, including expenditure under it in the last two years.

The ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Delhi accused the L-G office of "deploying obstructive tactics" to "derail" the city's development by "probing" MLALAD funds and "stalling" critical public works.

All India Congress Committee (AICC) secretary Abhishek Dutt in a complaint to the L-G on August 2 claimed that non-utilisation of MLALAD funds for improvement of sewage drains and water pipelines was leading to major civic problems. He demanded appropriate action in the matter.

In a letter, dated August 12, the special secretary to the L-G asked the additional chief secretary of the urban development department to furnish complete details of the MLALAD Fund scheme within five days to the L-G Secretariat.

The information sought includes objectives, eligibility criteria and guidelines of schemes, in order to give a comprehensive understanding of the scheme and its utilisation.

A consolidated list of various works executed under the MLALAD Fund scheme during the financial years 2023-24 and 2024-25, mechanism for monitoring utilisation of the funds like progress reports, audit procedures, and grievance redressal system, were also sought by the L-G Secretariat.

It also asked that the department provide information on scope of work covered under the scheme with specific reference to civic infrastructure projects, and modalities of utilisation of the funds, including identification of projects, approval and disbursement.

Dutt in a post on X, thanked L-G VK Saxena for directions issued on his letter and added that the truth will come out with it.

A former councilor of Municipal Corporation of Delhi, Dutt in a video on X said that he urged the L-G during a meeting for action against waterlogging and non-desilting of drains.

"We also said that under the MLALAD Fund scheme, around Rs 70-100 crore has been received by Delhi legislators in last 10 years for works like laying of water pipelines, sewerage and drainage. But waterlogging, overflowing of sewers and supply of dirty water are big problems in Delhi at present," he said.

There are drains in the city but no desilting has been done, Dutt said and claimed that the Defence Colony drain was not desilted in the last eight years. He said that people were forced to use packaged water for their needs.

The AAP in a statement alleged that the L-G office was making "constant efforts" to stop all development works in Delhi.

The "favourite officers" of the L-G stopped Rs 4,000 crore allocated to the Delhi Jal Board and Rs 500 crore under the MCD mayor fund for various work related to sewerlines, desilting, installing tubewells, the AAP alleged.

"The officers coming directly under the L-G tried to create problems in implementation of the MLALAD Fund scheme in the past too. This is another desperate attempt by the L-G office to stop the works of Delhi," it said.

The party said any inquiry was welcome but it should not affect ongoing works.