Delhi Assembly to discuss Mustafabad name change, CAG report on DTC today

The Delhi Assembly is set to discuss the renaming of the Mustafabad Assembly Constituency, as well as, the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) audit report on the functioning of the Delhi Transport Corporation among other issues on Friday.

CAG report on DTC

As per the List of Business (LoB), the Delhi Assembly will focus on the “CAG Audit Report on Functioning of ‘Delhi Transport Corporation'” as part of the session’s agenda. It was tabled in the assembly by Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on March 24.

The report highlighted operational inefficiencies and financial losses, leading to criticism of the previous Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government.

It evaluated DTC’s key operational and financial aspects, pointing to inefficiencies and areas needing improvement. It also examined fleet management, revenue generation, operational sustainability, and adherence to public transport policies.

The CAG report showed that Delhi Transport Corporation’s liabilities rose from ₹28,263 crore in 2015-16 to ₹65,274 crore in 2021-22 as it incurred operational losses of over ₹14,000 crore during this period.

Mustafabad name change

The Delhi Assembly will also discuss a resolution moved by BJP MLA and Deputy Speaker Mohan Singh Bisht “to change the name of Mustafabad Assembly Constituency to Shiv Vihar Assembly Constituency, in view of the sentiments of constituency voters,” read the LoB.

Mohan Singh Bisht had earlier declared that he would rename Mustafabad as either “Shiv Puri” or “Shiv Vihar” once he officially took office.

“I will change the name of the area from Mustafabad to Shiv Puri or Shiv Vihar. I have stated this before. I fail to understand why political parties are insistent on retaining the name Mustafabad. Why can’t an area predominantly inhabited by Hindus be named Shiv Puri or Shiv Vihar? People are troubled by the name ‘Mustafa,’ and it should be changed. I will make sure it happens,” Bisht said while speaking to news agency ANI.

What else to expect in Delhi Assembly today?

AAP MLA Sanjeev Jha will present a resolution on the “implementation of free distribution of gas cylinders on special occasions by the Delhi government,” it added.

Earlier in the day, the Delhi Legislative Assembly, under the leadership of BJP MLA Abhay Verma, passed a motion to dispose of long-pending cases referred to the Committee on Privileges, the Committee on Petitions, and the Committee on Questions and References from the Sixth and Seventh Legislative Assemblies.

The motion, which was presented by Verma with the Speaker’s permission, was adopted during the ongoing session of the Eighth Legislative Assembly.

Addressing the House, Abhay Verma, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA from Laxmi Nagar, highlighted the context of the motion, “Whereas, in its meeting held on December 4, 2024, the Seventh Legislative Assembly passed three resolutions that the pending works of the Committee on Privileges, the Committee on Petitions, and the Committee on Questions and References be examined by the respective committees of the Eighth Legislative Assembly under Rule 183; whereas, the provision under Rule 183 is rarely invoked and only in exceptional cases where a committee is unable to complete its work before the dissolution of the House.”

Verma further emphasised that many cases had either not been examined by the respective committees or had remained unresolved for years without any reports being submitted. Some of the cases involving Delhi Government officials had even escalated to the Delhi High Court, complicating their resolution further.

The motion concluded with a resolution stating, “Therefore, this House resolves that no further action be taken on the pending cases referred to the Committee on Privileges, the Committee on Petitions, and the Committee on Questions and References during the Sixth and Seventh Legislative Assemblies, and that they be considered as disposed of.”

The Delhi Legislative Assembly, on March 27, adopted a motion to dispose of eight pending court cases, including those filed by officers of the Delhi government. These cases were previously under review by various committees, such as Privileges, Questions and References, and Petitions.