Challenges await for AAP after its victory in MCD elections
New Delhi: The victory of Aam Aadmi Party in MCD elections last week is one of the many hurdles that the party managed to cross as voters in the Capital are simmering with hope and optimism to witness change in the many institutions under the local urban body, as promised by AAP. Many in the Capital who have carefully followed the AAP's campaign trail and are aware of promises made by the party, especially of removing the three landfills from the city, expect the party to perform and deliver in an unprecedented manner.
A group of men standing outside a DDA market in Ber Sarai discuss heatingly that apart from removing the three landfills the party should also focus on regular disbursement of garbage from every locality. Utsav Kumar, a final year post graduate student said that the removal of landfills is a long term goal and also added that in order to win the confidence of voters AAP councillors should make sure that a proper system is established in their wards which ensures that no garbage is found lying anywhere. "There has to be a visible change in terms of cleanliness as this was AAP's primary issue on which they fought against the BJP," said Utsav.
Apart from landfills and cleanliness, voters also want the AAP to focus on education and health and improve the condition of MCD schools and healthcare centres. Kavita Choudhary, a household worker from Govindpuri, said that the work done by AAP in the Delhi government schools prompted her to vote for the party in MCD too. She also added that most of the lower income families who send their children to such schools have been relentlessly complaining to the MCD authorities on the absence of basic amenities in the schools. Kavita said, "I want AAP to bring an end to the issues in MCD schools and bring relief to parents like me."
Management of resources in the MCD is another major challenge for AAP as there are many employees, like the Safai Karmacharis, who have not been paid their salaries on time by the former MCD for a very long duration. Timely payment of employees will be one of the major challenges for AAP as the former BJP-ruled MCD has always complained that lack of funds create trouble for the urban body to run things smoothly. One of AAP's 10 guarantees for the MCD is 'timely payment to all employees' and conversion of temporary employees as
permanent.
Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has always blamed the corruption in erstwhile MCD as the reason behind all its failures. Kejirwal has assured the voters of the capital that his party will succeed in generating a fair amount of revenue from the MCD and in managing its resources well by ending corruption and has numerously remarked, "Just like we have ended corruption in the Delhi Government, we will end it in the MCD too."
