AAP Delhi government begins work on regularisation of unauthorised colonies

• DELHI GOVERNMENT DECIDES TO START REGISTRATION OF PROPERTIES IN UNAUTHORIZED COLONIES
• ACCORDING TO OFFICIAL FIGURES AVAILABLE SO FAR, 1650 COLONIES IN THE NATIONAL CAPITAL ARE TREATED AS UNAUTHORIZED.
• CHIEF MINISTER DIRECTS REVENUE DEPARTMENT TO START FIXING BOUNDARIES AS SOON AS POSSIBLE
• DELHI GOVERNMENT ALSO OPENS REGISTRY OF BOOKED PROPERTIES WITH IMMEDIATE EFFECT

New Delhi: 31/03/2015

Fulfilling its election promise to provide much needed relief to lakhs of people forced to live in unauthorized colonies, the Delhi government on Tuesday announced its decision to start the process of regularization of these colonies.

In a meeting chaired by the Chief Minister Mr Arvind Kejriwal and attended by deputy chief minister Mr Manish Sisodia along with all the concerned officials, it has been decided to immediately complete the process of fixing boundaries of these colonies using the latest scientific methods. Satellite and Total Solution Methods would be used for demarcation of boundaries.

The government will seek a report on regular basis from the concerned department and officials to monitor the boundary fixation work.

The Chief Minister directed the Revenue department to fix the boundaries in these colonies as soon as possible. Once the boundary of a particular colony is fixed, registration of properties in these colonies will begin.

This will be followed up by sending the maps to the respective municipal corporations for preparation of layout plan and then to the Delhi Development Authority  (DDA) for change in land use.

The layout plan and land use change will simultaneously be taken up with the concerned authorities, but the registration of properties will not be delayed. The agencies for the demarcation of the boundaries have been identified.

In total there are around 1,650 unauthorized colonies in Delhi. The cut-off date for the eligibility for a colony is its existence from 01.06.2014 and for a building the cut-off date is 01.01.2015.

The Delhi government also has decided to start the registration of the properties which are booked in the 12-Zones under the three MCDs. Every month various properties (both residential & commercial) are marked as ‘booked properties’ by these authorities for violation of building by-laws, such properties were not allowed to be registered till now. However, the government of Delhi has now decided to open the registry of such properties. This will enable thousands and thousands of property owners to get their properties registered.

Registration in unauthorized colonies and registration of booked properties were long pending demands of the residents of Delhi. The Delhi government has fulfilled its promise to take steps for the same.

Transport minister meets MLAs; Adds 50 buses to Ghumanhera and Bawana and other crucial decisions

• TRANSPORT MINISTER TAKES STOCK OF DELHI TRANSPORT CORPORATION ACTIVITIES
• 60 MLAS PARTICIPATE IN THE MEETING ON TRANSPORT ISSUES IN THE NATIONAL CAPITAL
• COMMISSIONER (TRANSPORT) AND ALL SENIOR OFFICERS ATTEND THE MEETING
• ROUTE RATIONALIZATION FIGURES PROMINENTLY IN THE MEETING

New Delhi: 31/03/2015

Transport minister Mr Gopal Rai met the MLAs of Delhi to discuss the issues related to public transport, particularly the present state of affairs of the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC).

Following the meeting in which the MLAs gave numerous suggestions on how to improve public transport in the national capital, decisions/suggestions given below were finalized :

1)    The main issues discussed were restoration of routes earlier in operation, initiation of new routes as per demand in a particular area, transfer of staf (drivers/conductors) nearest to their places of residence, prevailing conditions of bus depots and terminals

2)    Additional bus fleet of 50 each will be provided for Ghumanhera and Bawana bus depots to strengthen public transport in rural areas.

3)    Number of seats reserved in each bus for senior citizens to be doubled from two to four.

4)    The minister directed DTC officials to make a plan for maximization of existing resources in public interest.

5)    Optimal utilization of buses belonging to the DTC, DIMTS and Metro feeder buses.

6)    Exploration of possibilities for procurement of mini and medium size buses.

7)     Follow-up with DDA from allotment of land to set-up more bus depots.

Delhi’s Chief Secretary Conducts Review of PWD and Water, Sanitation, Waste Management Bodies

•  CHIEF SECRETARY REVIEWS PROGRESS OF DESILTING OF DRAINS, REMOVAL OF MALBAS, CLEANING OF DHALAOS, ETC.
• TOP ENGINEERS OF PWD, EDMC, NORTH DMC, SDMC, I&FC, DJB, DDA, DSIIDC, DIMMTS, NDMC, DMRC ATTEND THE MEETING
• CHIEF SECRETARY DIRECTS HEADS OF ALL THE DEPARTMENTS CONCERNED TO PUT CO-ORDINATED EFFORTS FOR PREVENTION OF WATER, DESILTING OF DRAINS, REMOVAL OF MALBAS, CLEANING OF DHALAOS
• SECRETARY, PWD BRIEFS CHIEF SECRETARY, PRESENTS ACTION PLAN SHOWING PROGRESS IN THIS REGARD
• STRATEGY FOR TACKLING WATER LOGGING PROBLEMS DISCUSSED
• CHIEF SECRETARY DIRECTED THE DEPARTMENTS TO IDENTIFY VACANT SITES, MAY BE OF GRAM SABHAS, WHICH CAN BE USED FOR DUMPING OF SILT.
• ALL DEPARTMENTS PROMISED TO UNDERTAKE REGULAR MONITORING OF DESILTING AND UPLOADING DETAILED ACTION PLAN ON THE WEBSITE BEFORE 6^TH OF APRIL.

New Delhi: 31/03/2015

Chief Secretary, Govt. of NCT of Delhi, Shri K. K. Sharma, today directed the Secretary, PWD, Secretary, Irrigation and Flood Control, Commissioners, EDMC, North DMC, SDMC, Chief Engineers and Engineer-in-chief and members of PWD, Flood Control, DJB, DDA  and DSIIDC, DIMMTS, NDMC, DMRC to put their co-ordinated efforts for ensuring cleaning of drains by desilting, removal of malva from the dhalaos before the monsoon season comes. Reviewing the preparedness of Monsoon Season with regard to prevention of water logging, desilting of drains, removal of malba and cleaning of dhalaos, a review meeting was taken today by the Chief Secretary at Delhi Secretariat of all stake holders; namely, PWD, EDMC, North DMC, SDMC, I&FC, DJB, DDA, DSIIDC, DIMMTS, NDMC, DMRC.

Secretary, PWD , Shri Arun Baroka briefed the Chief Secretary explaining the complexities and enormity of the task and the co-ordinated efforts being undertaken by the stake holders.  Presentations were made by PWD, EDMC, SDMC, North DMC, NDMC, I&FC, DSIIDCE to the Chief Secretary showing the Action Plan and the progress made in this regard.  The challenges and the co-ordination issues were also discussed.  The strategy for tackling water logging problem consists of:

(i)         Desilting of Drains,

(ii)       Improvement to Drainage at Vulnerable Locations,

(iii)      Pumping,

(iv)     Improvement & Upgradation of Drains &

(v)       Mechanical Desilting using Super-sucker.

(vi)     Control Room and Mobile Vans.

Major issue regarding lack of landfill sites was brought before the Chief Secretary.  Presently, only Ghazipur landfill site is allowing desilted material to be dumped there.  Okhla & Bhalswa landfill sites are not allowing dumping of desilted material due to their already reaching to saturation point.  As per NGT orders, disposal of silt has to be necessarily at landfill sites.

Chief Secretary directed the Departments to identify vacant sites, may be of Gram Sabhas, which can be used for dumping of silt.  These sites can be brought to the knowledge of the Development Commissioner, who would provide necessary support.

The Department Heads were directed to sensitize their field units to ensure timely lifting of silt so as to minimize the harassment to general public.  The specific issues were also discussed, like ongoing PWD, DMRC, DJB works in major drains of I&FC.  I&FC Dept. was assured that waterways of the drains would be cleared by early June.

The Chief Secretary expressed satisfaction mentioning that it is heartening that departments are already engaged in the work.  He is desirous to see all departments to upload their detailed action plan on their websites.  He directed that necessary monitoring be carried out to ensure proper desilting and timely lifting of silt.

All Departments promised to undertake regular monitoring of desilting and uploading detailed action plan on the website before 6^th of April.

AAP Delhi’s MLAs answer BJP’s “dirty” trick with a Cleanliness Campaign; exposes Central Government’s poor tax devolution regime

Concerned over the situation created by the BJP ruled municipal bodies in Delhi, Aam Aadmi Party MLAs and hundreds of volunteers today carried out a cleanliness drive in the city. BJP ruled municipal corporations have failed to pay salaries to safai karmcharis which has led to strike by them. The irresponsible attitude of BJP run municipal corporations has turned Delhi into a heap of garbage. The situation has worsened in past couple of days but the BJP has turned a blind eye.

Concerned with the plight of the aam aadmi, Aam Aadmi Party MLAs and volunteers decided to carry out a cleanliness drive. AAP MLA from Karawal Nagar Kapil Mishra, Gokal Puri MLA Fateh Singh, Ghonda MLA Shridutt Sharma, Seemapuri MLA Rajendra Gautam, Rohras Nagar MLA Sarita Singh and MLA from Seelampur Haji Bhure gathered in Seemapuri area near Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital and carried out a cleanliness drive in the area. The strike by safai karmacharis had turned the area into a heap of garbage. Party MLAs and volunteers cleaned the area. The drive was welcomed by local residents, who also joined hands to clean their neighbourhood.

AAP MLA from Karawal Nagar Kapil Mishra said on the occasion that the BJP’s insensitive attitude towards poor safai karmcharis is deplorable. Municipal corporations have turned into dens of corruption under the BJP and Delhi’s citizens are paying the price of BJP’s irresponsible attitude.

AAP MLA from Laxmi Nagar Nitin Tyagi, MLA from Krishna Nagar S K Bagga, MLA from Gandhi Nagar Anil Bajpai, MLA from Jungpura Praveen Deshmukh, MLA from Trilokpur Raju Dhingan and MLA from Kondli Manoj Kumar gathered near Aggarwal Sweets, Mayur Vihar phase III with hundreds of party volunteers. In two hours of cleanliness drive the area was cleaned and the heap of garbage was removed from the road. Many passers by and local residents joined the drive.

Corporations are being ruled by BJP for last 8 years. They have become a den of corruption. It is an extremely inefficient & lethargic in its style of working. They have made Delhi into a dustbin.

The Aam Aadmi Party wants to put the record straight on the issue. Delhi Government has already made all remittances to these corporations that were accrued for this financial year including 10.5% of tax collections as per State Finance Commission

It is also unfortunate that Corporations’ own direct source of income, that is property tax, is in miserable state. The collection of legitimate revenue is hampered due to corruption & inefficiency. They have also failed to systematically enhance their revenues.

If Delhi is included in ‘terms of reference’ of Central Finance Commissions then these Corporations of Delhi will get increased revenues. Similar revenue received by Corporations of Haryana and Punjab (neighboring states) by virtue of being included in ‘terms of reference’ of Central Finance Commissions is 600 crores approx respectively. Our advice to corporators will be to stop politicizing this issue, and ask the Centre Government which run by its own party to remit this amount to Delhi.

Delhi School Principal arrested by Delhi’s Anti Corruption Bureau for embezzlement of over Rs 27 lakh

• CRACK DOWN ON CORRUPTION IN DELHI INTENSIFIES, SCHOOL PRINCIPAL ARRESTED BY ACB
• PRINCIPAL OF GOVT. BOYS SR. SEC. SCHOOL OF NITHARI (NEAR SULTANPURI) ARRESTED ON CHARGES OF ALLEGED FINANCIAL EMBEZZLEMENT
• PRINCIPAL ARRESTED FOR THE ALLEGED EMBEZZLEMENT OF RS 27,35,870 (OVER RS 27 LAKH)

New Delhi: 30/03/2015

The Principal of Government Senior Secondary School Nithari, (near Sultanpuri in Delhi) Sh. Ashok Kumar Singh, has been arrested on the charges of financial embezzlement of government funds to the tune of Rs 27,35,870/-. Earlier, an FIR was filed by the Anti Corruption Brnach (ACB) against the Principal (now under suspension) on a complaint by a senior official of the Vigilance department of Directorate of Education (DoE).

The investigation of the case revealed that the said Principal embezzled the funds meant for the various Students’ Welfare Scheme like subsidy for uniform, free supply of text books, welfare of educationally backward minority students,  Lal Bahadur Shahstri Scholarship etc. by abusing his official position as the Head of School (HOS) & Drawing and Disbursing Officer (DDO). These funds are meant to be distributed to all the eligible students in the same financial year.

The investigation showed that the Principal delayed the distribution of funds in 2011-12 and 2012-13, respectively, meant for various students welfare schemes, though the money was withdrawn well in time; he kept the fund under his personal custody for a long period beyond the financial year applicable without any reasonable ground.

In the year 2012-12 & 2013-14, the accused withdrew huge amounts for various welfare schemes but distributed them only partially. Altogether he misappropriated Rs 27,35,870/- in the financial years of 2012 to 2014.

During the course of investigation of the documents seized from the school, it came to light that the Principal also withdrew money by issuing cheques in the name of teachers; which is a clear violation of the procedure.

The role of two other officers is yet to be ascertained in the case as they failed to supervise the conduct/deeds of the principal resulting in misappropriation & embezzlement of the funds. The two officers are Dy. Director of Education, North – West & Education Officer.

The investigation report against the Principal further said, “he dishonestly and fraudulently misappropriated the above money for his personal gain by abusing his position as a public servant and obtained pecuniary advantage. Being a public servant, he also committed criminal breach of trust.”

AAP Minister Sandeep Kumar inaugurates camp-ending ceremony to restore children to their families

Ø  Shri Sandeep Kumar inaugurates a camp ending ceremony of rescue and rehabilitation for runaway children

Ø  35 children picked from New Delhi and Old Delhi railway station restored back to their families

Delhi, March 26, 2015

Delhi Woman Child Development Minister Shri Sandeep Kumar inaugurated a camp ending ceremony of rescue and rehabilitation for runaway children at Gandhi Peace Foundation organized by a Bangalore based NGO, SATHI (Society for Assistance to Children in difficult situation) and supported by Department of Woman Child Development today.

Speaking on the occasion, Shri Sandeep Kumar emphasized on the role of parents in upbringing their children in the family. He said it is necessary to nurture family values so that children follow the right path in their life. For this, government is fully committed for the rehabilitation of such rescued children by providing by them bridge education. The Minister exhorted the need for greater involvement of all including society, NGOs to eradicate such problem related to the child. He informed that the Government is determined to protect the interests of the children and ensure all the children go to schools.

In the ceremony, 35 children were restored back to their families in the presence of the Delhi’s Woman Child Development Minister. All these children were rescued from the railway platforms or the streets and belong to the age group of 13-16 years are the ones who have spent their lives on the railway platforms as well as on the street and have been into some form of substance abuse. 314 Children from New Delhi Railway Station were helped out of which 206 children were reunified with their families.

In February, a camp was started for children selected from New Delhi and Old Delhi railway station. These children belonged to various states of India, mostly Bihar, Uttar Pradesh. In them most of the children were out from their home for three months to five years. There are a number of reasons for which a child runs away from home which includes work related issues, education related issues, search for freedom and independence. After going through one month of intensive camp which includes activities such as meditation, yoga, non-formal education classes, moral stories, cultural activities, and others about 15 children from camp and 15 children from shelter were interested to go back home and their addresses have been traced by Department of Woman Child Development supported Sathi Staff along with the help of Delhi Police.

The parents of these children have been contacted and they are interested to take their child back to their home. Address tracing exercise was one of the critical components because about 60% of children do not remember their address as they got lost at a very young age and the children who remembered their addresses, their families have migrated. The parents of the children from camp whose address were traced were overjoyed at the news of their child being safe even after long duration of separation. Now these, children are restored to their families to live back a normal life.

AAP Delhi Government’s Tourism Minister Jitender Tomar Inspects Chhawla and Kanganheri Eco-Tourism Complex at Najafgarh Drain

• TOURISM MINISTER INSPECTS CHHAWLA & KANGANHERI ECO-TOURISM COMPLEX
• WE WILL ADD MORE FACILITIES TO ATTRACT TOURISTS IN THE COMPLEX- SH. TOMAR

27^th March, 2015

Minister for Tourism, Govt. of Delhi, Sh. Jitender Singh Tomar, along with Parliamentary Secretary to Minister of Tourism  Smt. Alka Lamba, and Local MLA Sh. Gulab Singh, visited the Chhawla – Kanganheri, an Eco Tourism and Adventure Sports Complex developed by Delhi Tourism at Najafgarh drain. This aesthetically landscaped complex is spread over 2.77 and 11.44 acres respectively, has a lot of potential to become one of the recreational projects with its board walk, camping and other facilities. On this occasion, MD & CEO Delhi Tourism, Secretary to Minister Sh. J.P. Singh and senior official of Delhi Tourism were also present.

Sh. Tomar took stock of the available facilities at the site and lauded the efforts of Delhi Tourism and has expressed his view to have it operationalized for public leisure at the earliest. He further added that Delhiites yearning to indulge in water sports, camping, and soft adventure activities over a weekend need not go beyond the city limits now. They can have the same fun at the complex. Smt. Alka Lamba said that there is a scope to further add more activities which the Govt. would look into at the earliest possible time.

The shape of the project is that of an island. The Chhawla complex has a beautifully winding elevated walkway built on top of stilts. This elevated path follows its way from the entrance to the complex to the point where a two-storey hut has been constructed, which will work as a restaurant offering a pleasant sunset view. The land below the elevated path has been landscaped beautifully with green cover of plants and trees. It also features a canal with bridges. The elevated walking path is dotted with sitting hut-like structures where visitors can sit and enjoy the view of nature all around with the opportunity to enjoy fishing and bird watching.

Nestled amidst dense green foliage, the Kanganheri complex impressively showcases 12 raised platforms with integrated baths and toilets. The main idea behind this is to provide a camping space for Delhiites with emphasis on making it a ‘Green Camping Site’ for soft adventure activities. Once operational, tourists would be provided tented camping facility, where they can stay overnight. There is also a provision for one km long cycling and jogging track, along the periphery of the “eco-green” complex and also dining café area.

The site has a remarkable potential for a perfect weekend break, away from the chaos and noise of a metropolis. It is to be developed as eco park destination comprising of adventure activities such as paintball and obstacle courses. This all new tourist complex is well connected by Najafgarh – Kapashera Road and MRTS line via Dwarka sector 21.

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal launches e- ration cards for the citizens of Delhi

• E-RATION CARD FACILITY LAUNCHED AND DEDICATED TO THE PEOPLE OF DELHI BY CHIEF MINISTER, SHRI ARVIND KEJRIWAL,.
• THE CHIEF MINISTER SAID THAT RATION IS A RIGHT OF THE POOR PEOPLE AND NO CORRUPTION WILL BE TOLERATED AT ALL IN DENYING THIS RIGHT TO THE PEOPLE.
• E-RATION CARD WILL BRING IMMENSE CONVENIENCE TO THE PEOPLE OF DELHI – ARVIND KEJRIWAL
• MY GOVERNMENT COMMITTED TO ERADICATE CORRUPTION IN PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM (PDS) AND ENSURE THAT THE ENTITLEMENTS REACH THE COMMON MAN- ARVIND KEJRIWAL
• E-RATION CARD IS LIKE LONG CHERISHED DREAM COME TRUE- SHRI MANISH SISODIA
• GOVERNMENT COMMITTED TO PROVIDE ALL SERVICES THROUGH E-GOVERNANCE AND M-GOVERNANCE. MANY MORE SUCH SERVICES ARE IN THE PIPELINE- SHRI MANISH SISODIA
• PROBLEMS OF PEOPLE RELATING TO RATION CARDS AND DELIVERY OF RATION WILL BE RESOLVED PROMPTLY- SHRI ASIM AHMED KHAN
• DELHI HAS BEEN THE LEADER IN IMPLEMENTATION OF FOOD SECURITY.LAUNCH OF E-RATION CARD IS ANOTHER FEATHER IN THE CAP. SHRI K. K. SHARMA, CHIEF SECRETARY, DELHI

New Delhi: 27/03/2014

Shri Arvind Kejriwal, Chief Minister, Delhi today launched e-Ration card facility and dedicated it to the people of Delhi in a function held in the Auditorium, Delhi Secretariat. The function was attended by Shri Manish Sisodia, Deputy Chief Minister, Sh. Gopal Rai, Minister of Transport & Development, Shri Asim Ahmed Khan, Minister of Food Supplies & Consumer Affairs, Shri Manoj Kumar, Parliamentary Secretary to Minister (Food Supplies & Consumer Affairs), Shri K.K. Sharma, Chief Secretary, Delhi, MLAs, Shri Gautam Ghosh, DDG, NIC, Secretaries, Heads of Departments and people in large number. With launch of this facility Delhi has become the first and only State to have such facility, in the country. Shri Arvind Kejriwal also presented e-Ration cards to some of the beneficiaries present on the occasion.

Speaking on the occasion, Shri Arvind Kejriwal complemented the efforts of the Minister, and officers of the Department of Food Supplies & Consumer Affairs and NIC for putting in place such an innovative and citizen friendly facility. He said that e-Ration card will bring immense convenience to the people of Delhi as it will cut down the delays in preparation and delivery of ration cards to the beneficiaries. Now the beneficiaries can print the ration card as soon as it is approved by the Department.

As soon as the application for providing food security is approved by the Food Supply Officer concerned, a message will go on the mobile number of the beneficiary informing her about approval of her application and her ration card. The beneficiary can go to the portal of the Department http://nfs.delhi.gov.in  enter the ration card number and other basic information and will be sent a password on her mobile phone.  After entry of this password, the e-Ration card will be generated which can be stored in the electronic form and use to get ration. It can also be printed by the beneficiary from anywhere.

Shri Kejriwal also distributed e-Rashan Cards to five consumers of PDS Ms Resma, Madhu, Taslim Jahan, Kamar Jahan on the spot by clicking the mouse.

Shri Arvind Kejriwal further said that his Government is committed to eradicate corruption in the public distribution system. He further said that the strict action including registration of criminal cases will be taken and no one, indulging in diversion and black marketing of ration, shall be spared. He further said that many more e-governance initiatives will be launched including computerization of all the Fair Price Shops.

The Chief Minister recalled his days as an activist, when along with Mr Sisodia and other colleagues, had launched a struggle in 2001 to eradicate ration mafia from parts of Delhi, particularly Sundar Nagri, Nand Nagri, Harsh Vihar and other places.

The chief minister said that ration is a right of the poor people and no corruption will be tolerated at all in denying this right to the people.

Shri Manish Sisodia, Deputy Chief Minister appreciated the efforts of the Department in making the public distribution transparent and providing the facility to enable people to monitor the functioning of the 70 offices of the Department online. He said that the e-Ration card is unique and to him it is like a long cherished dream of providing ration cards to eligible people in a hassle free manner coming true with this initiative. He said that the Aam Aadmi Party’s Government is working hard in the field of e-governance and m-governance and a large number of services will soon be provided at the click of a button through the websites and through mobile phones.

Shri Sisodia commending the efforts of the Commissioner, Food and Supply, Shri S. S. Yadav, who also happens to be the Director, Information and Publicity advised him to launch a Publicity Campaign for percolating the message of availing this people friendly, long awaited facility to the common man.

Speaking on the occasion Shri Asim Ahmed Khan, Minister of Food Supplies & Consumer Affairs thanked the Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister for their guidance and support. He said that the Government is aware of the problems being faced by the people in getting ration cards and monthly quota of ration and is taking strict action against people indulging in malpractices. The problems being faced by the people are resolved on priority through multiple channels including the Face Book, Ration Helpline No. 1967, What’s App facility by making extensive use of SMS and so on. I would like to make sure the Hon’ble Chief Minister that we will vigorously pursue our commitment to provide all services in the e-governance mode to the people and with minimum human interface and make the public distribution system very transparent, effective and corruption free.

Shri K.K. Sharma, Chief Secretary, Delhi said that he is really delighted that Delhi has become the first in the country today with the launch of e-Ration card facility by the Hon’ble Chief Minister. He further said that Delhi has taken a lead since beginning in implementation of the National Food Security Act and putting in place a robust e-governance system for the same. Today’s achievement is another feather in the cap.

Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia meets Union Railways Minister on demolitions around tracks

• DEPUTY CHIEF MINISTER SH. MANISH SISODIA MEETS UNION MINISTER FOR RAILWAYS SH. SURESH PRABHU
• SH. SISODIA REQUESTS THE RAILWAY MINISTER TO HALT THE DEMOLITION DRIVE AROUND RAILWAY TRACKS IN DIFFERENT PARTS OF DELHI
• RAILWAY MINISTER ASSURES THAT DEMOLITIONS WILL NOT TAKE PLACE, SAYS LETS TREAT IT AS A JOINT PROBLEM AND SET A TIMELINE TO SOLVE IT
  New Delhi 26/03/2015

The Deputy Chief Minister of Delhi, Sh. Manish Sisodia, met the Union Minister of Railways Sh. Suresh Prabhu at the Rail Bhawan on Thursday.

The Railways minister congratulated the Deputy CM on the victory in Delhi assembly elections. Sh. Sisodia requested the Railway Minister to halt the demolition drive being carried out around the railway tracks across 18 assembly constituencies of Delhi.

The Deputy CM said that if the state government gets some time to solve the problem by developing alternate settlement for the residents of these Jhuggis it would benefit the poor people residing in these areas. Immediate demolition of these Jhuggis would be inhuman, added the deputy chief minister of Delhi.

The Railways Minister said that he understood the situation and told Sh. Sisodia that it should be treated as a joint problem and a solution should be worked out together after setting up a timeline.

Sh. Prabhu assured that the demolition drive would be put on hold for the time being.

Delhi government is hopeful that the drive would stop until a solution is worked out. The state government will work with the railways to chalk out a plan to resettle the residents of these Jhuggis. Officials of the Delhi government have been asked to work with their counterparts in the Railways to work things out.

10 Reasons Why the BJP MCD is the Most Ineffective Civic Body in India: AAP Attacks BJP Misgovernance

The Aam Aadmi Party has issued the following press statement on the mismanagement of Municipal Corporations of Delhi by the BJP :

The Aam Aadmi Party notes with dismay the audacity of Bharatiya Janata Party in shunning the responsibility of managing the affairs of the three Municipal Corporations in Delhi, which it has been ruling since 2007.

The BJP also tried to rule Delhi by proxy between May last year till the declaration of assembly election results in February, but it did nothing to contain the financial mismanagement in these dens of corruption.

The AAP would like to question the BJP on how many times did it meet the central government or the Lieutenant Governor during the eight months of President’s rule to seek financial assistance for the MCDs ?

Why were salaries of poor employees pending since three months ?

The AAP demands that the Delhi government should immediately order a probe into the functioning of the MCD to fix the rot. We have compiled a short list of their ineffectiveness, corruption and misgovernance, which is here below:

The MCDs have converted Delhi into a heap of garbage and it must pay the price for this criminal negligence.

According to figures available in the public domain, the three MCDs in Delhi  all under BJP rule, on an average, could not even spend 40 per cent of the total allocated budget in 2013 for the developmental works they have been promising.

Petitions filed by RTI activists shows that the Municipal Corporation of Delhi has topped the corruption chart with about thousands of corruption cases which are ten times more cases than those in the Delhi government, Delhi Development Authority and Delhi Police.

Even as the Prime Minister flagged off the Swachch Bharat Mission across the country, it was unfortunate that nothing has been done to improve the working of the sanitation department and its workers in the MCD. Aam Aadmi Party volunteers alone sent in over 10,000 photographs of filthy areas across the city, which were then sent to the mayors of the 3 MCDs, who didn’t take it seriously, which makes these places remain filthy even as of today.

The Supreme Court appointed Bhurelal Committee was irked by the MCD’s failure to carry out its recommendation to demarcate the parking sites in all eight zones of the city even after a year of repeated reminders. Only when faced with the fact that disobeying judicial orders could lead to contempt of court proceedings did the MCD attempt to begin complying with established practices of effective spatial management across the city.

MCD was subject to a large-scale ghost employees scam where 22,853 “fictitious employees” were allegedly paid salaries, which resulted resulted in financial loses of around Rs 100 crore every year. The BJP seems to be the breeding ground of such scams.

Among its long list of promises, the North Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC) under the BJP had included toilets for women in the markets. Even though Rs 1 crore was allocated in every ward for this, not a single toilet has been built. Even out of a total budget of Rs 10 crore for maintenance of roads in rural areas of North Delhi, only Rs 5.44 crore has been spent. For the urban areas, the budget was Rs 52 crore and only Rs 26 crore was spent.

In order to combat Dengue and malaria, a budget of Rs 45.5 crore was sanctioned. But the South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) only managed to spend Rs 18.8 crore. An alarming 5,574 cases of Dengue and 200 cases of Malaria were reported in the Capital. In 2012, Rs 319 crore and in 2013 Rs 455.8 crore were sanctioned by the SDMC to take care of sanitation, and yet the situation of sanitation and cleanliness in South Delhi is regrettable even today.

The Delhi MCD for its website has been allocated 70 crores and 13 crores have been spent till date. This website is static with no search functionality. A domain costs you 1500/- INR, and a beautifully designed website with solid data management practice, seamless integration and a beautiful fronted should not cost more than more than a few Lakhs. This is the scale of inefficiency and corruption that plague the MCD.

In the East Delhi Municipal Corporation, much like everywhere else in Delhi, a total of Rs 365.8 crore was sanctioned to maintain roads and street lights in East Delhi. However, a lot of the street lights, some even on the main roads, don’t work. There are large potholes everywhere on the roads. Rs 323.33 crore was the sanctioned budget for sanitation in 2013-2014. But there was not a single day without complaint about garbage not being removed, or about unclean streets or sewage issues.

The Centre sanctioned Rs 469.78 crore for projects under the JNNURM to be completed by 2012 and saw only seven multi-level parking projects begin, let alone near completion, across the whole city of Delhi. This points towards the complete lack of execution skills in the current government.