Little from BJP’s 2017 manifesto put in place

Despite the reunification of the three municipal corporations in May 2022, the civic body continues to face salary delays and liabilities of over ₹21,000 crore.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which has been in power in the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) for the last 15 years, announced a new “charter of commitments” on Friday in its bid for a fourth consecutive term in the municipal government. However, the party is yet to meet several commitments it made in its manifesto for the 2017 municipal elections, some of which featured in its earlier manifestos as well.

Union Minister Anurag Thakur with BJP candidate Sunrika Sharma Jha during party's campaign for Municipal Corporation of Delhi elections in New Delhi on November 25. (PTI)

From schemes to provide subsidised meals, no hike in taxes and scrapping factory licences to building plan relaxations and a dhalao (garbage receptacle point)-free Delhi, BJP’s 2017 Sankalpa Patra made several ambitious promises to garner support during the election. The most prominent promise was the one to arrange a direct transfer of funds from the central government to end the then trifurcated civic bodies’ financial crisis as well as their confrontation with the state government. However, despite the reunification of the three municipal corporations in May 2022, the civic body continues to face salary delays and liabilities of over ₹21,000 crore. To be sure, BJP functionaries did request the union government for a one-time financial package to make the corporation financially viable, but to no avail.

The party also promised to offer subsidised meals for ₹10, but the scheme launched in December 2017 by the erstwhile South MCD was short-lived and deemed financially inviable, ultimately collapsing during the pandemic--a time when it could have helped workers from economically weaker sections. An effort to revive the scheme at ₹15 per plate in 2021 could not succeed, but the party has now promised to initiate a similar scheme at ₹5 per meal. A municipal official, however, said that providing subsidised meals does not fall under the ambit of corporations’ functions and it was never financially viable. “We had roped in midday meal agencies to run these vans but the scheme had to be discontinued because of the Covid outbreak and closing down of schools,” the official said, requesting anonymity.

In its 28-page “2017 Sankalp Patra”, the party had made several promises that also featured in the 2012 party manifesto but so far, none of them have been initiated on ground. The party had promised social security cards for the underprivileged and the unorganised sector, health cards to access medical facilities, auto-rickshaw and taxi stands with restrooms for drivers, virtual medical consultancy from primary health units and a complete overhaul of drainage system--none of these have been achieved.

Some of the promises have seen partial progress, though, such as issuance of vending certificates to street vendors, smart classes in select MCD primary schools, digitisation of municipal services and closure of dhalaos, along with a push for solar energy in municipal buildings. “Around 71,000 certificates of vending have been issued. But there are at least 250,000 vendors in the city. The promise of regularising weekly markets has also not been met,” Arvind Singh, who heads National Association for Street Vendors, said.

The garbage collection system has been mechanised in the form of fixed/mobile garbage compactors and since each of these compactors is able to handle the waste earlier handled by 2-3 receptacles, at least 480 dhalaos have been either closed or re-purposed, an official said. The BJP has also promised a dhalao-free Delhi in 2023.

While several municipal services such as birth-death certificates, e-mutatation, licensing and property tax have moved to a new online portal in line with the BJP’S 2017 poll promise, residents still complain about glitches and the need to visit municipal offices. Atul Goyal, who heads URJA(United RWAs Joint Action) said services have moved online, but the system is not foolproof. “If a service has moved online, there should be no physical contact. While there has been some improvement, we see that the digitisation still remains a work in progress and a person has to eventually deal with MCD officers,” Goel said, adding that the promise of regular mandatory monthly meetings between RWAs and civic staff/councillors has also remained on paper. “This promise has been repeated over the last two elections but nothing happens on ground to increase citizen participation,” he added.

In the 2007 manifesto, the party had promised unrealistic schemes such as cleaning the Yamuna, making electricity cheaper, giving ID cards to all residents of Delhi and even a new industrial policy — none of which were under its jurisdiction. Similarly, many of the schemes in the 2017 manifesto such as employment for women, regularisation of unauthorised colonies and development of Chhath ghats was never under the jurisdiction of the municipality. While the number of Chhath ghats has gone up from 72 in 2015 to 1,100 ghats in 2022--it has largely been carried out under the ambit of revenue department. The promise has been repeated in the 2022 manifesto.

Former East MCD mayor Nirmal Jain said that many of the promises could not be fulfilled because of a financial crisis in the corporation. “We were left to struggle with the salary crisis over the last five years. Our income was half of the expenses. East Delhi was the most neglected area and we could not start these schemes but unification should solve this problem.”

Jain said that MCD will focus on increasing internal revenue and becoming self-reliant. “We have to get rid of this freebie culture,” he added.

Former north MCD mayor Jai Prakash also stated that financial crisis led to unfulfillment of some promises made in 2017 and unification will help tide over this crisis.

Delhi BJP Spokesperson Praveen Shankar Kapoor has said that everyone in Delhi knows that Kejriwal Government crippled erstwhile 3 MCDs financially despite which they completed many huge tasks and maintained satisfactory basic sanitary, primary health & education services along with doing several good works like installing waste to energy plants, constructing projects like Bharat Darshan Park and converting normal street lights into LED lights etc. Today with 2022 Sankalp Patra we have given our list of works done too. Yes some points of 2017 manifesto remain unfulfilled but we have reincluded them in today’s Sankalp Patra and would fulfill them at earliest.