On Tuesday, the Delhi High Court rejected a PIL filed by MCD councilor Sonali, who demanded more funds for the councilors. The petitioner asked the Delhi Government and MCD to grant at least Rs 15 crore per councilor. Stating that these funds were needed for welfare activities like road repairs and the maintenance of schools, parks, dispensaries, and recreation centers.
Chief Justice Manmohan and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela, heading the bench, dismissed the petition and said that the MCD House or the Standing Committee should address the issue. “Because it has become challenging even to get adequate funds for the Delhi High Court. The court cannot issue directions to increase the funds being provided for MCD councilors”, the court said. The bench said that such issues should be taken up in the MCD House.
The elected councilor from Sidhartha Nagar, Sonali, has filed the plea and maintained that the token allocation of funds to MCD councilors was insufficient. She said inadequate funds had disabled their powers and functions statutorily prescribed to them. As a result, essential public services declined. Such as an inability to improve bad infrastructure in schools run by MCD, ill-maintained public parks. And lack of amenities to community centers and dispensaries, ultimately affecting the citizens of Delhi.
The plea also claimed that the insufficient funding violated Article 21A of the Constitution- a right to education. While discharging the arguments, the petitioner drew the attention of the court to the deteriorating situation where public facilities. Such as parks and schools, provide basic health, education, and social service facilities for citizens.
While MCD councilors receive an approximate allocation of Rs 1 crore per year, MLAs receive Rs 15 crore. The petition argued that such discriminatory allocations of funds affected the quality of civic services. Thereby, tended to deny the citizens their fundamental rights, including the right to life under Article 21.
Finally, the court disposed of the petition with a direction to the councilor to take up the matter through proper channels in the MCD.
ANI
