Market revamp, Delhi Bazaar: Key Delhi govt projects hit by removal of advisors

Expressing concern over removal of those appointed under the Chief Minister’s Urban Leader Fellowship and the Delhi Assembly Research Centre fellowships, following directions by Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena starting July, AAP Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj said all of them used to contribute significantly to the industries department.

“They used work for smooth and quick developments… these fellows have been removed so that development work for the people could be stopped,” he said.

An official added: “Those appointed to these posts played a crucial role in identifying and addressing key challenges faced by the people of Delhi. Their role encompassed extensive market research, data-driven insights, and formulation of targeted solutions to alleviate hardships experienced by the people.”

The dismissal of these individuals, according to another official, had affected redevelopment plans seeking to revive Delhi’s five iconic retail spaces including Lajpat Nagar, Kamla Nagar and Khari Baoli among others. A budget of Rs 100 crore was earmarked over the next five years for the project, which aimed to create 1.5 lakh job opportunities.

According to the official, the launch of the Delhi Bazaar Portal, intended to connect local traders with customers and poised to benefit 10 lakh vendors and generate around 3 lakh jobs within the retail sector, had also been impacted.

“Specifically, projects announced under the ‘Rozgar Budget’ this year now face issues. The Rozgar Budget, with its emphasis on employment generation, envisioned the creation of 20 lakh new jobs over the next five years. Projects under it included eight ambitious initiatives to transform Delhi into a world-class city,” the official said.

These projects included transformation of Gandhi Nagar into a ‘Grand Garment Hub’, establishment of Cloud Kitchen Clusters, creation of an Electronic City spanning 90 acres, rebuilding of Delhi’s non-conforming notified industrial areas to generate 8 lakh new job opportunities along with others.

The Solid Waste Management Policy for the city, which generates more than 12,000 MT of waste daily but has the capacity to process 6,000 MT, had seen the engagement of fellows in studying waste management practices, ways to improve efficiency of concessionaires, monitoring performance and measures required to address gaps in generation and processing of waste among related duties.