Paint your house, pay for it: MCD

If your house falls on any road that leads to a Commonwealth Games venue, the MCD wants your house repaired and painted. Here’s the catch: You get it repaired, you pay for it.

And just in case people don’t comply, the civic body is likely to make the renovations mandatory.

Residents of Defence Colony, Lajpat Nagar, East of Kailash, Bhogal, Karol Bagh, Chandni Chowk have already received such letters from the MCD.

“We had a meeting in April wherein the government asked us to motivate the residents to take up façade improvement of their houses and buildings. In many cases, it was recommended that the whitewash of buildings also be carried out. I have informed all the deputy commissioners to hold meetings and encourage the residents,” said MCD commissioner K.S. Mehra. The MCD’s central zone, where most of the CWG venues are located held a meeting to this effect on May 8.

The residents are critical of the MCD’s move. “The MCD should first do the things it is supposed to do. The roads are in a bad shape, the footpaths are dug up and there is no system to dispose garbage. Why should we spend money to improve our houses?” said Vijay Arora, president, Lajpat Nagar RWA.

Considering that these are private buildings and the MCD cannot force the residents, in the CWG meeting it was suggested that such residents be given monetary benefits such as rebates in property tax on completion of the work.

However, the MCD has said it cannot shell out the money for this. “We are already short of money. How can we give rebates to residents?” said a senior MCD official.