MCD election results: 5 things Kejriwal and Modi need to do to save Delhi

The city is in need for a radical transformation more than ever before

The BJP’s resounding victory in the MCD polls that has helped it retain the national capital’s municipality could further exacerbate the strained relations between the two parties. This bitter rivalry has put the city on the verge of catastrophe – from garbage-strewn streets, blocked drains that overflow during the monsoons and alarming pollution levels partly attributable to unscientific street cleaning practices.

To Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal’s credit, his government has helped the capital’s residents with lower electricity bills and providing water to places that struggled for it before. Here is what the two parties can do to make life better in Delhi
 

1) The garbage mess: The BJP-ruled MCD has blamed Kejriwal for not giving it money which has left the city’s sanitary workers unpaid for months. This resulted in the workers throwing garbage on the city’s streets that posed a health hazard to residents living on the other side of the Yamuna river. The city’s sanitary workers are lowly paid who do the most unrewarding work of keeping the city clean. The AAP and BJP should set aside their differences to ensure timely payment of salaries to these workers, clear their dues and create a welfare fund for them to ensure Delhi doesn’t see garbage piling on its streets in the future.

2) Unregulated construction: AAP promised to abolish the property tax, the mainstay of MCD’s funding if voted to power. This would have put the BJP -ruled MCD completely at the mercy of  AAP. Delhi has become a hotbed of illegal construction with successive governments regularizing these buildings and colonies. There is an urgent need to put an end to all unregulated construction in the capital which has led to the mushrooming of dangerous residential areas where even fire or rescue personnel cannot enter in the event of a disaster. While such a move would be unpopular, it certainly would go a long way in sending out a message that those who flout the law would not go unpunished in the national capital.

3) Abolish manual cleaning of streets: PM Modi made the street cleaning broom popular with his Swacch Bharat Mission but it continues to be an unscientific way of keeping the city clean. Delhi has become a veritable dust bowl owing to construction activity, much of it illegal, across the city. The workers who use the broom don’t clean the streets but only shift the dust from one part to another. In the process, Delhi’s air gets infused with even more dust. There is an urgent need to introduce vacuum cleaning of roads through machines. Cities like Chennai use such machines that keep not just the streets but also the air of the city clean.

4) Introduce affordable meals: Delhi has a huge floating population of workers who keep the city running. In addition, thousands of students come to the city’s many colleges for affordable education. Delhi’s poor food hygiene standards and high cost of living mean that survival is hard. The AAP government despite promises in the past has failed to introduce affordable and hygienic food to people. The BJP promised to provide meals at Rs 10 if voted to power. With Delhi’s voters giving BJP the mandate, it is time that both parties fulfill their promise of ensuring that nobody goes to bed hungry after a hard day’s work.

5) Close the city’s liquor vends: Swaraj Abhiyan has claimed that Kejriwal government has issued close to 400 new liquor licences after coming to power. The national capital along with its suburban areas have become a hotbed of liquor vends who often sell liquor to underage buyers. Moreover, Delhi’s outdoor culture has become synonymous with alcohol with heritage areas like Connaught place, Hauz Khas village and Shahpur Jat reduced to watering holes. This has led to proliferation of crime and instances of deaths due to liquor induced road behavior. There is an urgent need to clamp down on liquor bends.