New Delhi [India], January 20: Delhi BJP President Virendraa Sachdeva on Monday criticized Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for allegedly blocking the allotment of 50,000 flats meant for sanitation workers and labourers at Ghoga Bhavan Narela, despite the central government contributing more than 60% of the funding.
Sachdeva claimed that Kejriwal, during his three terms as Chief Minister, hindered the distribution of these flats to prevent the poor from benefiting. He accused the AAP government of making election-time promises to provide housing for the poor, while failing to act on the existing flats. “There are more than 50,000 flats in Ghoga Bhavan Narela, with over 60% funding from the central government. These flats could have been given to sanitation workers and labourers, but Kejriwal blocked this to stop the poor from benefiting. Now, with elections approaching, they are making announcements about providing houses,” Sachdeva said.
On Sunday, Kejriwal proposed a new housing scheme for sanitation workers employed by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) and New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC). He called on the central government to provide land at subsidized rates for the construction of these homes by the Delhi government.
Kejriwal explained, “The land in Delhi comes under the central government. If the central government provides land at highly subsidized rates, the Delhi government will construct the houses, and government employees can pay for them in easy installments.” He expressed hope that the central government and Prime Minister Modi would support the scheme, which would initially benefit sanitation workers and could later be expanded to other government employees.
Under the proposed scheme, sanitation workers would be able to purchase homes at subsidized rates, with payments deducted from their salaries in the years leading up to their retirement.