Couldn't raise adequate infra for want of land: AAP

Raising the issue of full statehood to Delhi, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) that governs the state on Saturday said it could not put in place adequate infrastructure like schools and healthcare facilities, as the Centre did not give required land, which ultimately "hurt" Delhiites.

The AAP said the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) refused to give land to the state government for constructing bus depots, Mohalla Clinics, schools, colleges and landfill sites on various pretext.

It is a "grave injustice" to the taxpayers of Delhi "who pay Rs 1.5 lakh crore" by way of income tax to the Centre, the party said.

It said the government could not construct 27 new schools and was forced to construct additional 8,000 classrooms instead in the premises of existing schools to bring down student-classroom ratio in the absence of land.

Similarly, the government could not add buses to its depleting fleet of public transport as the DDA did not clear required land for bus depots for four years, it claimed.

"Be it Barapullah flyover, be it Signature Bridge or bus depots or Mohalla Clinics, the DDA took years to process files related to land. It is on record that it has not given a single peace of land to date," AAP spokesperson Saurabh Bharadwaj told IANS.

"As a result, we had to build Mohalla Clinics at Delhi Jal Board premises. It has hurt people of Delhi."

The AAP said only 192 Mohalla Clinics could be built and that too in the space available at the premises of Delhi Jal Board, Irrigation Department and under footover brides.

As per the Delhi University rules, the Delhi government cannot open regular colleges but only technical ones.

The party said the Dwelhi government has opened 27 technical collages, while the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Central government has not opened any in past few years.

The DDA also used "innovative ways" to deny land for landfill sites, the AAP claimed.

It said all these issues can be sorted out if Delhi becomes a full-fledged state and the DDA is brought under the purview of the state government.

The party blamed the BJP and the Congress for "betraying" the people of Delhi by maintaining silence on the issue, though they talked of granting full statehood in their manifestos in every election.

"Why are BJP and Congress shying away?" Bharadwaj said.

--IANS

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