NEW DELHI: Protesting against the stalling of a one-time settlement scheme for rectifying water bills, AAP MLAs trooped into the well of Delhi Assembly on Tuesday, prompting the speaker to adjourn the House.
Meanwhile, the Leader of Opposition, Ramvir Singh Bidhuri, claimed that AAP MLAsmisbehaved with him during the House proceedings. Bidhuri lodged a complaint with Speaker Ram Niwas Goel, demanding action against the unruly legislators.
After the special mention of issues related to the constituencies of the MLAs under Rule 280, the AAP members trooped into the well of the House and raised slogans against the BJP, accusing it of putting pressure on officers to stall the scheme. They demanded that the Lieutenant Governor suspends the officers responsible for obstructing the scheme.
The Speaker tried to pacify the AAP members, and asked them to take their seats.But as the protesting MLAs refused to budge, he adjourned the House for half an hour. When the House reconvened, the AAP MLAs again trooped into the well and raised slogans. As Goel’s repeated requests went unheeded, the Speaker adjourned the House till 11 am on Wednesday.
Delhi Cabinet Minister and senior AAP leader Atishi said the most burning issue faced by the people of Delhi today is their absurdly inflated water bills. This problem has been going on for the last one-and-a-half years, she said. Senior AAP leader and Cabinet minister Saurabh Bharadwaj said that Delhi Jal Board has 27 lakh consumers. Among these, 10.60 lakh consumers, approximately 40 per cent, have not paid their water bills for months.
“The reasons the consumers have cited included exorbitant bills much higher than their consumption, and incorrect issuance of the bills,” he said. Bidhuri, who was the lone BJP MLA present in the House at the time of the second adjournment, alleged that the AAP MLAs came to the well of the House and raised “objectionable slogans” against him and leaders of his party. Bidhuri said he has lodged a complaint with the Speaker requesting appropriate action against the AAP MLAs.