Delhiites have a long wishlist for the new MCD

The AAP-led MCD will have to ensure better garbage disposal, especially collection of segregated waste.

Between 1966 and 1990, Delhi’s governance was the responsibility of the Delhi Metropolitan Council. There was no state government. After Delhi got a state government, with limited powers, the power of the civic body was amended. Now, there were two authorities in Delhi, apart from the land-owning agency Delhi Development Authority and the police under the Ministry of Home Affairs.

With different parties ruling the two bodies for well over 15 years, friction between the two has been common, but never was the relationship between the two as fraught as it has been over the past eight years when the AAP came into power in the Delhi government.

Residents have now voted for the same party to be in power in both bodies, hoping for more synergy.

The AAP has now appointed four senior party members — Durgesh Pathak, Saurabh Bharadwaj, Atishi and Adil Khan — to manage the 12 MCD zones.

The Indian Express spoke to residents as well as AAP leaders about peoples’ wishlist from the new MCD and the road ahead.

“Delhi has never looked so dirty. One can see mounds of garbage even in the upscale colonies of Delhi. In this fight between AAP and BJP, Delhi has suffered. The first thing that Delhi needs is a thorough cleanup,” said Karen Madan, a resident of Safdarjung Enclave and an active member of the RWA in his area.

His wish for a clean Delhi is one that is also on the top of AAP leaders’ and councillors’ to-do lists.

“Cleanliness and garbage management is the biggest thing people want for the city. It is going to be our priority. You need more sanitation workers. They have to be made responsible for particular areas to set accountability. Overall, solid waste management has to be process-oriented. Collection of segregated waste from the doorstep has to be made part of the system,” said AAP’s Saurabh Bharadwaj.

Party leader Durgesh Pathak, too, laid emphasis on sanitation workers. “We have to motivate the karamcharis and pay them on time. We have to take care of those who take care of Delhi. We did the same thing with schools. We motivated teachers and the teaching-learning process improved,” he said.

The second thing that is on the priority list is ensuring smoother services to people. Several services such as the registration of death and birth are already online, and the plan is to expand this net.

“People have to face humiliation to get any work done at MCD offices. People have started to think that it is not possible to get work done without paying bribes. We have to bring in a smoother system that is largely online. We have done this in the Delhi government already,” Pathak said.

On the list of demands of residents is also permission for pruning trees. A seemingly small problem, residents across the city have complained that there are no clear rules and guidelines that can help them get sunlight in winter. A better policy for tree pruning was also part of the Charter of Demands put forth by citizens’ group, Save our City. “The MCD must do a survey of all trees and give an identification number to each. A suitable policy must be framed for automatic pruning and removal of dead and dangerous trees,” it said.

“This is among the biggest demands people have from the MCD. Many overzealous activists have made overgrown trees a real problem in Delhi. People need sun in winter and a proper mechanism must be devised to ensure that this is done in a proper manner. Not pruning trees is also harming them because they get heavy and are being uprooted,” Bharadwaj said.

Residents have also spoken about smooth and well-lit roads in and around their neighbourhoods.

“Over the past few years, roads have not been laid by the MCD. It is RWAs that have managed to get some work done but there has been no concerted effort from the authorities. This is something that needs to be fixed. We live in a posh colony but roads are still broken,” said Satya Kumar Malhotra, a resident of Model Town.

“The MCD has not relaid internal roads in 10-15 years. This is among the primary demands of people and something we intend to get to as soon as possible,” Bharadwaj said, and also pointed out that stray cattle are a big nuisance in the city.

“You can see stray cattle roaming around in Kotla Mubarakpur, Alaknanda, GK, and several other places. People want stray animals inside shelters and it is part of the list of promises we have made to them,” he added.

A simpler system for getting building permissions is also on the minds of many people. “Most stories of corruption about the MCD come from the building department. It is responsible for giving building permissions for both residential and commercial units. In the MCD’s grievance redressal unit, most people complain about being made to run around for permissions. This is also going to be the biggest challenge for the incoming government. Several officers over the past two-three years have tried to deal with the problem of corruption in this department but nothing has changed,” said a senior MCD official who did not want to be named.

“The building department is the most notorious. The process to get the building plans cleared and permission to build is full of loopholes. One cannot get the permissions without paying bribes. There have to be institutional, systemic changes here,” said Bharadwaj.