NEW DELHI: AAP councillors staged a protest outside the MCD Commissioner’s office on Wednesday, demanding the implementation of proposals to regularise 12,000 temporary employees and provide relief on house taxes. The councillors alleged that despite prior notice of their visit, MCD Commissioner Ashwini Kumar left his office before they arrived.
Delhi Mayor Mahesh Kumar Khichi, Leader of the House Mukesh Goel, and all AAP councillors marched to the Commissioner’s office, only to find that Kumar had reportedly left for a court hearing.
In response, the councillors staged a sit-in inside the office, raising their concerns over the delayed implementation of key resolutions passed by the MCD House, including the regularisation of workers and house tax exemptions.
The protest ended with sloganeering as the Commissioner did not return. Mayor Khichi accused the Commissioner of deliberately avoiding the scheduled meeting. “Despite prior intimation, the Commissioner left the office citing an NGT event before we arrived,” he said.
Khichi pointed out that the MCD had passed two crucial resolutions, one for house tax relief for Delhi residents and another for regularising 12,000 contractual employees, but these proposals are yet to be implemented.
The Mayor also criticised the unilateral decision by the MCD Commissioner to impose additional user charges on residents without consulting the Mayor or passing a resolution in the House.
“The Aam Aadmi Party strongly opposes this unjust decision and demands the immediate withdrawal of these user charges,” he stated.
Khichi further slammed the imposition of user charges, saying it had added to the financial burden of residents already struggling with inflation and high taxes.
“The MCD has now linked these charges with house tax, which we believe is an unjustified burden on the people of Delhi. We demand that user charges be separated from house tax immediately,” he said, calling for a rollback of the charges without delay.