Women's safety, power, water top priorities in poll-bound Delhi

As Delhi inches closer to the assembly polls, the three main parties in the fray - the AAP, the Congress and the BJP - have laid out elaborate action plans, promising a slew of development measures for the national capital.

The Congress: Released in two parts, the Congress manifesto is a comprehensive vision that speaks about --

- Regularising unauthorised colonies that could not attain legal status during the first round of regularisation by the previous Congress government.

- Increasing pension amount to Rs.2,000 per month for all, including widows and handicapped.

- Constructing as many as 25,000 flats for the economically weaker section.

- Monitoring public transport and residential colonies through CCTV cameras and scaling up the number of women in the police force to ensure safety of women in the city. Police force to receive special training with respect to crimes against women.

- Making public transport Wi-Fi enabled.

- Charging Rs.1.50 per unit up to 200 units of electricity consumption, and 50 percent subsidy for those who consume over that limit. The total subsidy, all put together, would be Rs.1600 crore.

- Renewing the demand for full statehood for the capital.

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The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) manifesto spells out its commitment as:

- Delhi Jan Lokpal Bill: Legislate the Delhi Jan Lokpal Bill to ensure a time-bound investigation in matters of corruption.

- Full statehood for Delhi: Push for full statehood for the national capital. This will ensure that institutions such as the Delhi Development Authority (DDA), Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) and Delhi Police will be accountable to the elected government of Delhi. This way land will be made available for the common man.

- Electricity bills: Slash electricity bills by half and adopt measure to provide relief from rising power bills by generate cheaper electricity.

- Free lifeline water: Ensure free lifeline water of up to 20,000 litres to every household per month through a Delhi Jal Board's metered water connection. This scheme will be extended to group-housing societies. Also, provide "water as a right" and ensure clean water to all at an affordable price.

- Public toilets: Build two lakh toilets, about 1.5 lakh in slums and squatter clusters as well as 50,000 in public spaces. About one lakh toilets will be for women.

- Government schools: Build 500 new government schools with special focus on secondary and senior secondary schools.

- Expand healthcare infrastructure: Create 900 new primary health centres and 30,000 more beds in Delhi hospitals, out of which 4,000 will be in maternity wards.

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The BJP's Vision Document lays out a development framework the party seeks to follow with special emphasis on over 35 areas, including nine that merit immediate focus.

Issues concerning women's safety, youth affairs, electricity and water, housing, transport as well as health and hygiene top the BJP's list of immediate priorities.

Trade and business, education and skill development, jobs and employment as well as environment are the other priorities.

Every aspect of governance will be premised on principles of utmost transparency, unimpeachable integrity as well as fullest accountability, while ensuring zero tolerance to corruption.