BJP speeds up work in wards going to bypolls

New Delhi: With bypolls in 13 wards less than two months away, the BJP-run municipal corporations have suddenly turned their attention towards development works that were at a standstill. After the Delhi assembly elections, 13 councillors had to demit office after being elected MLAs.South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) has the maximum number of seven wards - Munirka, Matiala, Vikas Nagar, Nanakpura, Bhati, Tehkhand and Navada - that will be going to polls. The civic body passed a resolution in a House meeting on Monday authorising the mayor to utilise the councillors' funds in these seven wards for development works. BJP has 50 councillors in the House and Congress 29. Leader of the Opposition and Congress member Farhad Suri said, "Where was the concern for development works in the past three years? Now that the court has told the election commission to conduct bypolls by May, they have decided to follow the unit rate method for tenders. They know following the open tender process is going to take long, so have given the mayor the power to utilise the councillors' funds before the code of conduct kicks in."Unit rate method involves fixing of rates by the corporation for certain works where open tenders are not floated.Last year, a budget allocation of Rs 75 lakh was made for each councillor, but this year it has been increased to Rs. 1.5 crore. Suri said that he will approach Delhi Congress president Ajay Maken to register a complaint with Delhi State Election Commission against this 'corrupt' practice of BJP.Questioned on the timing of this resolution, chairman of the standing committee, Radhey Shyam Sharma said it's better late than never. "Technically, the EC hasn't notified the dates of the election, so there is no question of violating the code of conduct," he said.