Delhi MLAs, who have raised issues with disbursal of MLA LAD funds in the past, might soon be able to get it on time as instead of the District Urban Development Agency (DUDA), the responsibility of releasing funds will go back to the Delhi government’s Urban Development again. An official of the UD department said, “Several Delhi MLAs have not been able to spend their MLA LAD funds since they haven’t been disbursed this fiscal. But, we hope, the funds will be disbursed again soon. We are aiming for December.” DUDA was created by the AAP government in 2015 as the answer to the municipal bodies to ensure grassroots-level development and streamline disbursal of funds. In June 2017, AAP MLA Som Dutt told the Assembly that no funds had been sanctioned under the scheme in 2017, which Urban Development minister Satyender Jain admitted to, and said, “There have been complaints about this and the funds would return to the urban development department.” Jain then stripped DUDA from disbursing the funds under the scheme. The body was conceptualised through AAP’s mohalla sabhas — a citizen’s grouping much used by the AAP in the pre-election period. Each DUDA has a governing council chaired by the district magistrate concerned. A DUDA member said, “The problem was that the system that had been created, which was that MLAs gave consent to the DUDA chairperson for execution of work, the release of a specific amount along with the name of the executive agency, followed by DUDA approving the schemes itself or getting the work executed by the government was found to be too time-consuming. The process was taking months.” AAP MLA and Delhi government spokesperson Saurabh Bhardwaj said, “All MLAs faced problems. Action is being taken to rectify it and the money will be rooted through the UD department very soon.” BJP-SAD MLA Manjinder Singh Sirsa said, “I haven’t received any money this year. First they create a system and then admit in Assembly that it has failed. But even returning to the previous system seems beyond them.” Rebel AAP MLA Kapil Mishra said, “In most cases where MLAs are saying they haven’t received funds, it is because they haven’t been able to show that they have spent over 50 per cent of their previous funds.” For all the latest Delhi News, download Indian Express App

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