'I will not sing the Cong's swan song in Delhi'

Q&A: Sheila Dikshit

Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit tells SREELATHA MENON she is not tired after 10 years of running the state.

What has been your biggest achievement in the last ten years?
I am not going to sing the swan song for the Congress. We will go to the people with ten years of holistic development which embraced health care, education and transport. We have left all that came under our purview better. We have made enormous improvements. The greening of Delhi has been one of our most visible achievements. If the people want this to continue, we are coming back to power.

The privatisation of the power sector has been criticised as the promises made have not been fulfilled. Power thefts and subsidies to the companies continue.
It was a bold step for us as the Delhi Electricity Board had failed totally and there used to be power cuts for 6-13 hours. The privatisation was done with the participation of the government of India, experts and the Planning Commission. Six years down the line it is considered one of the best in the country and the world. The accusations against it are baseless. Power theft has come down from 52 per cent to 26 per cent and our target is 15 per cent.

The rates are a dicey area as power is getting expensive everywhere. We pay Rs 2 a unit but the actual cost is Rs 7 a unit. We continue to charge Rs 2. It will change but not now.

You have an image of someone who promotes environmental causes. But the fact that crores of rupees have failed to make Yamuna even a bit cleaner goes against you. Does it upset you?
We have, in consultation with experts, commissioned a study by Engineers India Ltd on having interceptors at the mouth of every drain that flows into the river. The study is to come in a month and we will have it evaluated.

The entire stretch of Yamuna Pushta was cleansed of the people who lived there in the name of cleaning the Yamuna. People now question that the land has been given to the builders, while the poor slum-dwellers have been left on the outskirts of the town.
The removal of slum-dwellers from the Pushta did help clean the Yamuna. That has stopped the contamination of the river by human waste. But cleaning the river does not mean not constructing anything there.

What do you mean when you say that you will have green Commonwealth games?
We are going for green buildings, greenery and solar power wherever possible. We are offering incentives for solar power.

Your Bhagidari initiative of partnering with local resident welfare associations is criticised because you never did anything to empower them through a legislation.
I would have liked to empower the societies with a law but it is not constitutionally possible. There are 4 million bhagidari members now and we have been giving them Rs 50 lakh per year through our divisional commissioners for spending on area resident welfare associations.

You had promised flats to people who were removed from slums but these are yet to come up.
About 1,200 flats are ready and the demand was so enormous that it took time. There are three lakh applications and our dream is to build four lakh houses.

What is the criterion for selecting candidates for the coming Assembly elections? Is it linked with an assessment of their work in the community?
Winnability is the number one criterion. They should have no criminal record, and of course we will look at their performance.

Who do you see as the next chief minister. Vijay Kumar Malhotra (BJP’s candidate for CM’s post) or Ajay Makan or you?
I want the Congress to come back.

Are you tired after leading the government for ten years?
Do I look tired? Delhi is an exciting place to be in and I have an exciting job to do.

What about these endless engagements?
I get charged when I meet people. That doesn’t tire me.

Do you see any change in Delhi and what is your vision for the future?
I see in the poorest of areas women dressed in bright shiny clothes. Recently, when I went to open one of our community kitchens, which we have launched recently, a boy came to me for a plate of food. He was dressed in a black T-shirt and I asked him what was hanging from his ears. It was an i Pod.

These are kitchens which provide lunch to street-children and destitute who would otherwise eat out of garbage. Various companies are providing the food at different locations and we just enable them to do so.

This happens on the street at 12 locations and companies like Reliance ITC and Ambuja Cement and some NGOs are providing the food. We will have 22 such locations by March and this has been done without providing an inch of space or infrastructure. It happens on the roadside.

And your vision?
I want Delhi to be the best city in the world. And move forward in a holistic manner. There is a huge migrant population and we have to cater to them. But the state is going through a great economic boom and let us hope we will make the Delhi of tomorrow.