Delhi MCD polls: Sanitation replaces CAA stir in poll priorities at Shaheen Bagh

At least two key stretches in the area have become garbage dumping sites over the years. Residents said that they had given priority to pressing concerns such as sanitation and road conditions while casting their votes in the MCD elections.

Voters turned up in large numbers at Shaheen Bagh, the epicentre of the protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act, on Sunday. Most residents in the locality that falls in the Abul Fazal Enclave ward said that they had voted with the hope that the elected representatives will address the deteriorating sanitation in the area.

Voters at a polling booth in Shaheen Bagh during the MCD elections on Sunday. (Sanchit Khanna/HT Photo)

At least two key stretches in the area have become garbage dumping sites over the years. Residents said that they had given priority to pressing concerns such as sanitation and road conditions while casting their votes in the MCD elections.

Nida Fatima, a physiotherapist, said poor garbage management and inadequate sanitation were major concerns that had been neglected by the former councillor. Fatima said that basic civic amenities in the area were in shambles.

“There is no cleanliness. Garbage mounds on the roads are a perennial sight. The streets are in a poor state since agencies dig up streets but never return to repair them. The construction and demolition waste lines up the streets for months. Parking is another major issue with people leaving their vehicles on the streets that leads to traffic bottlenecks,” said Fatima.

Her concerns were echoed by many in the neighbourhood who said that the ever-increasing number of garbage mounds was a major sore point. Most residents said they were focusing on civic concerns affecting their day-to-day lives this time. In the 2020 assembly elections, Shaheen Bagh served as the nucleus of the anti-CAA/NRC protests, as Muslim women sat on vigil for months in peaceful protest against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act of 2019 and the proposed National Register of Citizens.

Twenty-seven-year-old Fatima was among the scores of women who participated in the sit-in protest at Shaheen Bagh. She said that while the protest led to the area hitting international headlines, both residents and candidates were focused on local concerns this time. “I noticed that the candidates did not dwell on the CAA-NRC issue. It was not a part of the election conversation with both residents and candidates choosing to sidestep it. The area needs spruced up civic amenities but at the same time, we would expect that whoever is elected stands by the neighbourhood in times of crisis,” said Fatima.

Kaunain, another Shaheen Bagh resident, said that the streets in the area need urgent attention with piles of garbage lining them. The 27-year-old research scholar at Delhi University who goes by a single name said that he had cast his vote after taking into account the candidate’s stance on the poor sanitation situation. “MCD polls are an opportunity for us to elect representatives who will fix local issues. The former councillor did not work properly, so this time I have decided to vote for someone who I feel will be able to address the sanitation and cleanliness issues,” said Kaunain, who voted at a polling centre located near a huge garbage dump.

Nazia, another resident, also said that the most pressing issue was sanitation. “There is no cleanliness in the area. Sanitation should be the topmost priority of the next councillor. There is a lot of stench due to the garbage dumps and one often sees people around us falling sick due to infections and other diseases,” said Nazia, who goes by her first name.