Delhi budget full of "misleading and false data: BJP

NEW DELHI: Delhi unit of BJP today criticised the 2013-14 budget presented by the city government charging it is full of misleading and false data and old projects have been repeated.

"The budget speech of the Chief Minister is full of misleading and false data. It indicates that she has no interest left in Delhi. There was lack of advance thinking in it. Old projects, such as Burari hospital, have been repeated," Vijay Goel, Delhi BJP President, said.

He said though "no new tax has been imposed, the government has already increased water, power, sewer charges, court fee, circle rate, registry fee."

He said cash subsidy to two lakh families below poverty line was promised but provided only to 45,000.

"A claim had been made for increasing water supply. But supply could not be increased although the charges went up many times. Group Housing Societies have been served water bills demanding arrears of lakhs of rupees. RWAs have staged demonstrations against it," Goel said.

The BJP leader said the government has claimed that the per-capita income has increased five times during the last 15 years.

But in the meantime, prices have increased 40 times. The government claims that Delhi was free from load shedding but it resorts to load shedding every day, according to Goel.

"Bawana power plant has reduced its capacity to 400MW power although it had promised to produce 1500 MW. Promise of cheap houses to the poor is repetition of old data. Two lakh poor people were promised cooking gas connection but only 35,000 were given the connection. Registry of sale and purchase has not been started in unauthorised colonies. New construction works are not being carried out," Goel claimed.

If foreign retail shops were opened, then five lakh traders would be rendered unemployed, he alleged adding the poor people were now spending Rs 1,500 rupees on fuel in the kerosene-free capital but previously they used to cook their food with kerosene of Rs 150 only, he added.

Highlighting the scarcity of doctors, beds and medicine in hospitals, Goel said it has been claimed that the budget allocation on health has been increased by 30 per cent.