Would’ve achieved excise revenue target if policy was not hampered: Gahlot | Latest News Delhi - Hindustan Times
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Would’ve achieved excise revenue target if policy was not hampered: Gahlot

By, Alok KN Mishra
Mar 24, 2023 11:42 AM IST

The completion of many of the projects involved MCD (which was then ruled by the BJP), and we did not get its cooperation. We will take up the projects with the MCD again, Gahlot says.

Finance minister Kailash Gahlot, who presented Delhi Budget 2023-24, has blamed the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) for some of the government’s 2022-23 budget promises not being fulfilled. In an interview, he also said that the 3,000 crore projected loss in excise revenue was because the excise policy was not allowed to be properly implemented, apart from talking about other Budget-related issues.

Delhi finance minister Kailash Gahlot. (ANI) PREMIUM
Delhi finance minister Kailash Gahlot. (ANI)

Instead of too many new announcements, the Delhi government has repackaged several existing projects and included them in the 2023-24 Budget, such as construction of the ongoing double-decker flyovers, redesigning of roads etc. Why is that?

The Budget is all about finances and money, and the government decides how much funds to allocate to various projects. If the government has conceived various projects, but the government does not allocate matching funds for them, then the purpose of the projects is defeated. We have allocated funds for various projects in the Budget 2023-24. We have allocated adequate funds to projects which will help Delhi become a clean, beautiful and modern city.

Many projects announced in the 2022-23 Budget could not take off, for example the employment-generation plans did not see any progress.

Some projects could not take off, like redevelopment of markets announced in the previous Budget. The completion of many of the projects involved MCD (which was then ruled by the BJP), and we did not get its cooperation. We will take up the projects with the MCD again (the AAP now rules MCD), and take the projects forward. Employment generation is also linked with the success of these projects, and once again, MCD is very much involved in the process.

The Delhi Transport Corporation’s (DTC) working loss is high, as per the 2023-24 Budget documents. What is the plan to tackle that?

The public transport concept is that it should be cheap, affordable, efficient, and reliable. If the ticket prices are high, then who will use public transport? For the last many years, the government has not increased the fare of public buses in Delhi. The buses ply at a certain fare rate, and the government collects some money as part of fare box collection. The gap between the running cost and the fair box collection is paid by the government. So DTC is not in working a loss.

In 2022-23, the Delhi government projected 9,500 crore excise revenue, which has been downgraded to 6,500 crore in the revised estimates. How do you see this projected loss of 3,000 crore at a time when the earlier policy is being investigated?

If the new licence-based excise policy 2021-22 was allowed to continue in Delhi, the excise revenue loss would not have happened. Obstacles were created in the implementation of the new excise policy such as liquor stores were not allowed to be opened in non-conforming areas; the entire policy got hit. Many areas of Delhi remained unserved. The same excise policy has been implemented in Punjab (where AAP has formed a government). In Punjab the same policy has led to a handsome increase in excise revenue collection.

The government has announced that it will clear the three landfill sites in two years. The BJP, which led MCD earlier, has said that it had already started the work, and the Delhi government is trying to take credit.

The BJP has not reduced the height of the three landfill sites. The BJP was in the MCD for 15 years, but could not clear the landfill sites in the last 15 years. Recently they claimed that they have reduced the heights of the landfill sites. It is a pure lie. The AAP government has fixed a target to clear the three landfill sites in two years and it will be done.

Unveiling 'Elections 2024: The Big Picture', a fresh segment in HT's talk show 'The Interview with Kumkum Chadha', where leaders across the political spectrum discuss the upcoming general elections. Watch now!

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