The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) is set to recover more than Rs 4.55 lakh from Delhi University (DU) for costs incurred in removing illegal hoardings, posters, and banners erected during the recent Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) elections, which resulted in public property defacement.
According to a status report, from September 13 to September 26, a day before the polls, the MCD dispatched 37 personnel and four vehicles for 11 days to clean the defacement. The cleanup cost Rs 1,53,120 for trucks and Rs 3,01,994 for personnel.
The court had earlier instructed Delhi University to bear the expenses of various agencies, including the MCD, government departments, and the Delhi Metro, for restoring public property defaced during the election campaign. The university is allowed to recover these costs from the candidates responsible for the damage.
However, there has been no response from Delhi University regarding how it plans to recover the amount from those candidates. Similarly, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has not provided an estimate of the expenses incurred for cleaning their property.
Due to the defacement violations, the court has halted the announcement of DUSU election results, which were initially set for September 28.
The results are now unlikely to be declared before October 21, the next scheduled court hearing. When asked about the possibility of requesting a relaxation in declaring the results, Chief Election Officer Satyapal Singh stated that the administration will fully comply with the court’s order and will not seek any exemptions.
Singh also mentioned that the Chief Election Officer’s office had issued multiple warnings to the candidates, instructing them to remove unauthorised banners and posters, with the threat of disqualification if they failed to comply. However, despite these warnings, there was little progress on removing the materials, even on the day of vote counting.
Until the court permits the release of the election results, the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) will remain securely stored in a strong room under surveillance, as confirmed by the university administration.
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Source: India Today
