Delhi House to deliberate CAG's 'Sheesh Mahal' report, pollution
New Delhi, Jan. 1 -- Three reports of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India, including the audit of the bungalow at 6, Flag Staff Road that the Bharatiya Janata Party has repeatedly described as the "Sheesh Mahal", will headline the Delhi government's agenda for the upcoming winter session of the legislative assembly, along with a detailed discussion on air pollution, cabinet ministers said on Tuesday.
The winter session of the Delhi assembly will begin on January 5 with the customary address of lieutenant governor VK Saxena at 11am, after which the House will take up regular business. The session is scheduled to run until January 8, with sittings on the opening day held in the morning and proceedings on subsequent days starting at 2pm.
Announcing the government's priorities at a joint press conference at the Delhi secretariat, minister Kapil Mishra said the newly elected government, led by chief minister Rekha Gupta, had decided to hold an open and comprehensive discussion on air pollution, a crisis that has dominated public discourse in the Capital over the past few months.
"Delhi government will bring a resolution on environment and air pollution on which all members will hold discussions. Why is Delhi facing the current situation of pollution, what led to this situation, what affidavits have been filed by the previous governments in the Supreme Court and which steps were actually taken.
We will give status reports, scientific reports and the government's obligation - all facts of the last 20 years will be presented," Mishra said.
He added that the opposition Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which was in power in Delhi for over a decade, should come prepared to explain the measures it took during its tenure to address air pollution. "The assembly will discuss everything openly - why previous governments failed and what steps can be taken now," he said.
Delhi has remained in the grip of severe air pollution for much of the winter. With an average air quality index (AQI) of 349 so far in December, the month is on course to become the Capital's most polluted December since 2018, when the average AQI stood at 360. Notably, Delhi has not recorded a single day of "moderate" or "satisfactory" air quality this month.
Another key focus of the session will be the tabling of three long-pending CAG reports, which the BJP has accused the previous AAP government of withholding.
Mishra said the government had made a commitment to bring all such audit reports before the House.
"These reports came during the previous government but were kept on hold by the then chief minister. We had promised that all CAG reports would be made public, and we will fulfil that promise," he said.
Among them is the audit report on the renovation of 6, Flag Staff Road, the former official residence of ex-chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, which the BJP has targeted as a symbol of alleged excess and corruption in the run-up to the 2025 Assembly elections in the city.
In addition, Mishra said a CAG report on alleged irregularities in the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) would be tabled.
The report covers the functioning of the utility up to 2022 and examines issues that, according to the government, led to a deterioration of Delhi's water and sanitation infrastructure.
A third report, focusing on corruption in higher education institutions and universities in Delhi up to 2023, will also be placed before the House.
"Corruption, kickbacks, theft and looting will no longer be tolerated in Delhi," Mishra said, adding that several important resolutions would be brought during the session.
Chief minister Rekha Gupta and other BJP leaders have repeatedly said that she will not reside at 6, Flag Staff Road, calling the bungalow a "symbol of corruption" of the previous regime.
AAP chief whip Sanjeev Jha said the party will seek a full account of the BJP government's work during the session adding that the government has failed to provide Rs.2,500 to women as promised during the assembly elections.
"It has been 10 months since the BJP formed the government in Delhi. Now the BJP government should tell people what it has done in these 10 months in the interest of Delhi's citizens. The BJP took votes from the people of Delhi by making false promises in its manifesto and formed the government," he added.
Jha said BJP had claimed that it would clean the Yamuna but river is not even fit to take a bath.
"Environment minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa should explain why the condition of air pollution in Delhi is so bad today. Media reports are saying that this December has been the most polluted December in the last 10 to 12 years. Why has this happened, especially when stubble burning is not even taking place now? What work has the BJP government done to control pollution in Delhi? In the Assembly session, we will seek a full account of the government's work over these 10 months. The BJP can no longer hide its failure by blaming others."...
To read the full article or to get the complete feed from this publication, please
Contact Us.