Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday announced Ten Guarantees (as the Aam Aadmi Party refers to manifesto) for the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) polls to be held on December 4.
Since the ten-point manifesto focuses on civic and local issues, the announcement of the elections may usher in truly civic polls that address local concerns.
Announcing the manifesto on behalf of his party, the first issue the chief minister raised was that of landfills. The mountains of garbage are not only a health hazard for the common man but also an eyesore for the National Capital.
Kejriwal announced that no new landfill sites will be formed in the city. “We will clear off all three garbage mountains and ensure that no more gets formed,” he asserted. He said if voted to power, the AAP will rope in global experts for a solution to the menace.
The second issue he raised was that of corruption in the civic body which has become proverbial for the residents of Delhi. Kejriwal, who is also the convener of AAP, pledged to make the MCD corruption free.
As a first step against corruption, he said an online easy process will be developed to pass the map of new buildings as the building department is said to be the most corrupt.
The third guarantee, he said, was a practical and permanent solution to parking. He, however, didn’t specify the steps he was going to take to ensure hassle-free parking in a city where congestion has become a major impediment for not only car owners but also commuters and pedestrians.
The fourth guarantee cannot be as relevant for any other city which is grappling with the issue of stray animals. While the sight of stray animals roaming on the streets is not uncommon in Indian cities, it has become a menace in Delhi. The AAP has pledged to make Delhi free from stray animals like dogs, cows, and monkeys, giving a ray of hope to the Delhiites.
In the fifth guarantee, the party has announced that the MCD roads will be repaired.
The smooth functioning of MCD schools and hospitals is the sixth promise. Kejriwal promised to develop Delhi as the city of parks as the seventh guarantee.
The eighth guarantee was that of regularising the MCD staff with salaries on time. For traders, the process of obtaining licenses would be simplified to end the Inspector Raj, he said as the ninth guarantee.
As the tenth guarantee, Kejriwal said, “We will develop vending zones and give licences to those working on Revdi Patdi (freebies)”.
