With the poll bugles sounded in the MCD, the Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday announced the AAP’s 10 guarantees for the people of delhi before the upcoming December 4 municipal election. During a press meet, the CM Kejriwal said that the Bharatiya Janata Party will not win more that 20 seats in the Municipal Corporation of Delhi elections.
He added that if will get the hold of MCD they will ‘beautify’ the national capital and accused the current MCD of trying to turn the city into a city of ‘garbage mountains’. During a press conference, he alleged that the civic body has plans to create 16 new landfill sites. At present, three landfill sites – Ghazipur, Okhla, and Bhalswa – are located on Delhi borders.
People living in the vicinity of these landfill sites are affected by the foul smell emanating from these garbage mounds and a host of other issues. Their life is literally like hell. We have heard that there are plans to make 16 new garbage mountains in the national capital,” the CM said. On the other hand, he said, the AAP government is developing Delhi into a city of parks and lakes.
“Today, Delhi is known for its education and health facilities and these people want to turn it into a city of garbage mountains. The government is working to make Delhi a City of Tirangas, lakes, and parks, and these people want to turn it into a city of garbage mountains,” Kejriwal said. “If given a chance, we will beautify the national capital in a time-bound manner,” he added. Sisodia had also leveled similar allegations on Thursday.
The Municipal Corporation of Delhi in a statement on Thursday said that it is “working tirelessly” to flatten the three existing landfill sites in the city. “It has come to the notice of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) that some claims have been made that the corporation has planned to set up new sanitary landfill sites at 16 locations in Delhi. “The MCD completely denies the allegation and wishes to state in a very unambiguous term that there is no plan to establish any new sanitary landfill site,” it had said.
The AAP has launched a month-long campaign to highlight the failures of the BJP-ruled civic body. As part of the campaign, groups led by AAP MLAs tried to reach Ghazipur and Okhla landfill sites on Wednesday and Thursday, respectively, to stage a protest, but were stopped by police. The BJP held control of the three erstwhile municipal corporations in Delhi, and the AAP was the main opposition party till the terms of the civic bodies expired in May and the three bodies were united to form a single MCD.
Elections to constitute a new civic body are yet to be held. The central government has fixed the total number of seats in the Municipal Corporation of Delhi at 250 from the existing figure of 272. This was stated in a Delhi Gazette notification issued on Saturday.
What are Arvind Kejriwal’s 10 Guarantees?
1- Clean Delhi — AAP will clear the three garbage mountains, not let any new landfill come up, clean and maintain all roads and gullies, bring global expertise and latest technology for garbage disposal
2- Corruption Free MCD — Process of getting maps and building plans cleared will be simplified, ‘lenter-vasooli’ will be eliminated, minor violations will be regularised under a scheme
3- Parking Crisis will be solved — Radical and permanent solution will be implemented to solve the parking crisis in Delhi
4- Stray Animal problems will be solved — residents will get relief from the menace of stray dogs, stray cattle and stay monkeys
5- Better, cleaner roads — MCD’s roads and gullies will be repaired and maintained for easier commute
6- World-class Education and Healthcare Model in MCD too — MCD’s schools and hospitals will be transformed on the lines of Delhi Government’s Model
7- Beautification of Parks — All MCD parks will be facelifted. Delhi will be turned into a City of Parks
8- MCD Administration Reforms — All MCD contract workers will be regularised. All MCD employees will get salaries on time
9- Reforms for Traders — Conversion fees and Parking fees will be ended. Sealed shops will be opened. Inspector Raj will be ended. Licencing processes will be simplified and digitised.
10- Vending Zones for Hawkers — Hawkers will get freedom from extortion. Hawkers will get to trade inside clean vending zones.
