Delhi House to take up GNCTD Act, Dwarka Expressway for discussion today

The Delhi assembly was due to take up the “undemocratic” Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (GNCTD) Act, which handed over the control of the administration to the Union government despite ruling Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) opposition, and “alleged scam in the construction of the Dwarka Expressway” for discussion on Friday.

According to the list of business, AAP lawmakers Sanjeev Jha, Bhavna Gaur, and Akhilesh Pati Tripathi will initiate the discussion on the “undemocratic move of the Central Government in enacting” the law “to curtail the powers of the elected Delhi Government” in “violation of the constitutional provisions” and Supreme Court rulings. Chief minister Arvind Kejriwal was also likely to speak on the issue.

Six Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) lawmakers were marshaled out as tempers flared when AAP lawmaker Durgesh Pathak initiated in the Delhi assembly on Thursday a discussion on the ethnic violence in Manipur.

The Delhi government has challenged GNCTD Act in the Supreme Court even as AAP has maintained it will respect the legislation as long as it remains.

The control of bureaucrats has been at the core of the battles the Union and Delhi’s AAP governments have fought including in courts since 2015 when Kejriwal stormed to power.

A Supreme Court order on May 11 handed over the control of services to the elected government. On May 19, the Union government issued an ordinance to snatch back the control before the GNCDT Act was passed last week.

The Delhi House proceedings were scheduled to begin on Friday under Rule 280, which allows lawmakers to raise important matters related to their constituencies and to draw the attention of the government.

BJP leader Ramvir Singh Bidhuri said the AAP leaders were frustrated due to corruption charges against their government and leaders including Kejriwal. “The AAP government is running away from discussing the scams which have taken under the AAP government such as the chief minister’s bungalow scam... Their own lawmakers are questioning the failures of the AAP government. Kejriwal has done nothing for the people of Delhi.”

Bidhuri said the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India’s report on Dwarka Expressway has not analysed the reasons behind the increase in the cost, such as land acquisition cost escalation and additional constructions.

AAP held a protest on Wednesday at the under-construction expressway site in Najafgarh to highlight “corruption” in the key infrastructure project. AAP leaders cited the CAG report which said the project is being developed at a cost nearly “14 times” the amount originally approved in 2017

“The Dwarka Expressway project is a big scam by the Modi government,” said AAP chief spokesperson Priyanka Kakkar. She alleged the project was approved at a cost of Rs18 crore per km but is being built at a cost of ₹251 crore per km without any prior approval.