A lot achieved, a lot remains

As Sheila Dikshit enters her 14th year as CM, she flaunts the CWG and Delhi’s infrastructure as some of her biggest achievements. Her main challenge, she admits, will be to maintain the same look and feel. HT reports.

On a day Sheila Dikshit completed 13 years in office as Delhi’s Chief Minister, she listed her government’s achievements and charted out her future plans.

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One of her key feats, the CM said, was giving the city world-class infrastructure and the main challenge would be to keep it in a good shape. Providing accommodation to slum-dwellers and increasing the city’s green cover are also high on her priority list.

Infrastructure maintenance

Dikshit said her government had made a provision in its budget to earmark 4% of project cost on maintenance.

“We don’t want to eclipse the look and image of the city which received accolades from during the Games. There will be no dearth of money in providing funds for maintenance and cleanliness,” said Dikshit.

Commonwealth Games 2010

Dikshit termed the success of the Games as one of the government’s biggest achievements. “I don’t think anybody or any state having such a small bureaucratic setup would have been able to conduct the Games with a huge multiplicity of authorities. In spite of all that, we came out with all flying colours,” she said.

Monorail in, rickety DTC buses out

The government, she said, planned to construct monorail in areas where Metro was not possible.

“We have decided in principle to construct a monorail route in trans-Yamuna. Monorail is convenient to be laid and can become operational in colonies where it is difficult to lay Delhi Metro lines or to provide city bus service,” said Dikshit. The government is also planning to replace old DTC buses with low-floor ones.

MCD trifurcation

Terming the trifurcation of the MCD as a historical decision, Dikshit said the move would help improve civic governance and bring people close to the civic body. “In providing 50% reservation to women in the new municipal bodies, we have shown an extraordinary courage,” she said.

Green City

Dikshit emphasised the need to maintain greenery. A number of saplings planted during the Games had been damaged due to poor upkeep, she said.

“It is time to extend the green area. We must concentrate on nurturing the planted saplings to improve their survival rate. We need to make our city greener,” Dikshit said.

Timely delivery of services

The government will include more services under the ambit of the Electronic Service Level Agreement to ensure services are provided to people in a time-bound manner.