Chandni Chowk MP Khandelwal launches ‘jan chaupal’

Over 30 out of the 80 complaints received on the first day were related to the Delhi Jal Board (DJB), including issues related to water shortage

Days after winning from the Chandni Chowk Lok Sabha constituency, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Praveen Khandelwal started a series of public meetings on Tuesday morning, noting complaints from the residents without any prior appointment. Over 30 out of the 80 complaints received on the first day were related to the Delhi Jal Board (DJB), including issues related to water shortage, quality of supply water and sewer maintenance, the MP’s team said.

Praveen Khandelwal, the newly elected MP from Chandni Chowk constituency began a series of public meetings to record problems being faced by the people. (Sanchit Khanna/HT Photo)

A first-of-its-kind initiative, the “jan chaupal” (public meeting) was held on the footpath of Town Hall at Ghantaghar in Chandni Chowk where senior officials from the Delhi Municipal Corporation and Delhi Police were present. Khandelwal claimed that he will continue to meet residents at his “chaupal by the footpath” of his constituency every day, with the next one being planned for the Keshavpuram area on Wednesday and Kamla Nagar on Thursday.

During the “jan chaupal”, nearly 90 people turned up to meet the MP with requests to resolve the problems of their areas, including open sewage lines, lack of sanitation, water shortage, alcohol consumption and gambling in public places as well as parking issues. In total, 82 complaints, including verbal ones, were made during the “jan chaupal”, the MP’s team added.

“Before the Lok Sabha elections, I promised that after becoming an MP, I would sit on the footpath at various locations in the constituency and maintain continuous communication with people, so that I learn about their problems and try to get them fixed. Before the elections, I hit the streets asking for votes. Now, I am on the road again asking for work. The interesting thing was that we assumed that most people would have complaints related to the municipal body or police, but maximum complaints were related to DJB,” said Khandelwal.

He added that the district magistrate, MCD officials and Delhi Police officers were present on Tuesday. He has also asked officials from DJB, Delhi Development Authority and public works department to be present at the “chaupals”, so that the complaints can be sent on the spot to the departments concerned for redressal.

The newly elected Chandni Chowk MP told HT that during the public meeting, people shared various problems such as illegal borewells running in their localities causing water shortage in other areas, water supply crisis, and other issues related to DJB.

“Some people complained about open sewage, lack of cleanliness, which are works under the Delhi government. They also shared safety concerns due to alcohol consumption in the open and gambling activities carried out in many lanes. After hearing these issues, I directed the officials to take appropriate action immediately and assured the people of resolving each matter soon,” said Khandelwal.

Other issues included traffic and parking problems, complaints about water supply, lack of community centres, encroachments on pavements, lack of facilities for loading and unloading goods in the Chandni Chowk market, and the tangled web of overhead electrical wires in the markets.