‘There’s a burden on my conscience but we can afford to dream’

Ten years ago, when I campaigned for my party as the president of the Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee, I realised governance needs to be an interactive process. Interaction with the people should not end with campaigning — it should begin there. It was during those months of campaigning that I decided to initiate the process of interactions with the residents of this city. Bhagidari — partnership in governance — has been the one single most important guiding force of this government. It has also led to the change in the perception that since governance is all about people, their voice has to be heard; their participation welcomed at every step. That is also the reason why Delhi became one of the first states to enact the Right to Information (RTI) Act.

Delhi’s demography comprises people from every nook and corner of the country. As the capital of one of the largest countries of the world, Delhi has the natural role as the showcase of India. People come here in search of better livelihoods, better living standards, leaving behind limited prospects of growth. They bring samples of the culture of their regions. Try and visualise various rivers coming from all directions and pouring into this vast sea of humanity. And now add different colours to these rivers. The result is a sea of colours where each colour retains its identity, lending a distinct identity to the sea. Delhi is a “mini India” where different cultures and languages live in understanding and harmony.

The challenge was to understand the aspirations of these people and also create an atmosphere for them to realise their potential. A bigger challenge was to foster a sense of belonging for the city amongst people. The disconnect between the government and the people, mostly from different and often distant cultural backgrounds led to a relationship of convenience the people had with the city, sans any bond with the city that gave so much. “My Delhi I Care” was not just a slogan but a state of mind.

What irrigation channels do to rural growth, urban infrastructure does to cities. As the capital city, Delhi had to show the way to other mega cities of the subcontinent on how to match the pace of growth with elegance in excellence. Delhi took this as a challenge to create infrastructure which was not just a special response to fundamental needs but, primarily, was a catalyst for growth. Earlier, if people came to the city out of compulsion, they should now come here out of choice.

As a state dependent on neighbouring states for water and power, our first tasks were clearly specified. Power distribution was privatised and Sonia Vihar water treatment plant commissioned. To a large extent these two issues are behind us now. By 2010, Delhi will have become self-sufficient in the power sector.

Transport sector required a complete overhauling. The Metro needed to step out of the board-rooms onto the tracks. Growing traffic also required flyovers and subways. Clean air appeared a distant dream in the first term. Phasing out diesel and replacing it with CNG in a time-bound manner taught me that people are willing to go through the journey to reach the destination. Today, Delhi boasts of the largest fleet of eco-friendly public transport in the world. I am still concerned with the kind of diesel the city uses for its commercial and private transportation.

Whether it was the teething trouble of power privatisation or the transformation of public transport, I must say the people of the city did understand and did not betray any sense of impatience.

Cultural and economic constraints have led to a warped approach towards the girl child. Delhi’s sex ratio and the dropout rate of the girl child have been a source of tremendous concern. Education of the girl child, and also to ensure a dignified status for her in the family, kept my mind abuzz with the kind of incentives that can help a family overcome at least the economic concerns. The Ladli Scheme is one such attempt, wherein education is clubbed with an economic advantage. Every girl born in a family which earns less than Rs 1 lakh a year and gets registered and goes to school, receives a lakh on completion of class 12th for further education or her marriage.

Gender Resource Centres have been set up in 43 localities to improve the status of women, taking special care of their health and training as Self Help Groups. Reduction of stamp duty on properties registered in the name of the woman of the family has been well received and has shown encouraging signs.

Slums can be an eyesore for some. To me, they are a burden on my conscience. People coming from different parts of the country are forced to live in conditions where their habitat has no municipal legitimacy, and hence they get “a step-municipal treatment”. We have introduced the Rajiv Ratan Awas Yojana, a concept of low-cost housing where a dignified habitat is being made available at subsidised price to the economically weaker sections of our city.

We keep talking about Delhi as a city that is completely bereft of natural resources. I draw my strength from the one great resource Delhi has. And it is the magnificent pool of an educated, empowered and confident human resource — a pool brimming with hope. In Delhi, we can afford to dream.