‘No votebank’ areas not worth councillors’ time

Contrary to popular perception, ‘posh’ south Delhi areas — part of big wards — are not showered with their councillors’ attention. Instead, they are mostly ignored as they do not have the numbers to turn around the fate of candidates. Rajat Arora reports.

Contrary to popular perception, ‘posh’ south Delhi areas — part of big wards — are not showered with their councillors’ attention. Instead, they are mostly ignored as they do not have the numbers to turn around the fate of candidates.

Dry-leaves-and-waste-scattered-in-parks-make-the-morning-walks-not-so-pleasant-at-Masjid-Moth-New-Delhi--ARIJIT-SEN-HT-photo

Such is the story of Masjid Moth, Sheikh Sarai I and Panchsheel Enclave — areas that fall under ward number 191-Shahpur Jat.

Residents claim that they were treated like second-class citizens as the areas, which house upper middle class service and business class population, do not have enough voters to make a great difference in the candidates’ favour.

“Councillors focus more on unauthorised areas such as Jagdamba Camp and Shahpur Jat village, which have more than 25,000 voters. We are nowhere on their priority list,” said Ranju Minhas, a resident of Masjid Moth.

Residents complain the state is such that no MCD sweepers visit their areas. “Even if we want to get a street light installed, we have to visit our councillor’s house several times,” Minhas added.

Other than bad roads, poor sanitation and chocked drains, residents are irked by the rampant unauthorised construction in the area. “Some people are close to the councillor, so they have encroached MCD land. Despite several complaints, no action has been taken against them,” said Dr Sumit Mukherjee, a resident of Masjid Moth.

The situation is no different in Sheikh Sarai I, where garages have been turned into shops by some residents.

“The garages allotted with DDA flats were not built to be commercialised. Some residents have rented them out to outsiders, who have converted them into shops,” said Dr Rekha Deshmukh, a resident of Sheikh Sarai I.

The colony roads are also in desperate need of re-carpeting, but the councillor does not seem interested.