Many Chief Ministers from Sheila Dikshit to Arvind Kejriwal, have in their over enthusiasm, tried to compare the National Capital with several prominent cities of the world. However, what is evident is that successive governments have failed completely in providing a robust infra-structure that can deal with natural calamities. A permanent solution does not seem to be in sight, with multiplicity of authorities adding its own share of problems, and unaccountable bureaucrats, misleading both the citizens and clueless politicians.
The Yamuna is flowing much above the danger mark, and areas around it in several places, are witnessing flooding, the kind of which that has not been seen in many years. The last time when heavy rains in the catchment areas in the hills had led to the overflowing of the embankments along the river was in 1978, when even Model Town, a posh residential area of North Delhi was completely submerged. Indira Gandhi, then with the Opposition, surveyed the entire colony in a boat, accompanied by Delhi Congress strongman, HKL Bhagat to expose the faultlines, and woo the citizens, who had rejected her and her party a year earlier. Water logging in and around the Inter State Bus Terminus in Kashmiri Gate and the Civil Lines area has been a normal feature, but this year, many previous records stand broken, and water has virtually brought normal life to a standstill. It was also never unusual to find Jagatpur and Wazirpur villages of North Delhi as also areas near the Balak Ram Hospital being inundated besides low-lying places near the Yamuna Pushta. However, the construction of the Right Marginal Bandh provided relief to colonies such as Model Town and also many new residential localities which came into existence in Burari and near Jahangirpuri. The present flooding has absolutely exposed the lack of preparedness of the city government, as well as the various agencies such as the Municipal Corporation, the Delhi Development Authority, the New Delhi Municipal Council and the Delhi Cantonment Board. While the politicians are engaged in a blame game and have been accusing each other of being callous, it is obvious that both the major parties, the BJP and the AAP are at fault. The Congress at this point is virtually irrelevant so far as the city bodies are concerned. The BJP was in power in the Municipal Corporation for 15 years and the AAP government has been at the helm of affairs since 2015. However, despite tall claims, very little seems to have been done. What is appalling is that those holding responsible positions are themselves unaware of many issues that have cropped up in the wake of the current flooding. Equally disturbing is that many correspondents covering the calamity for various TV channels and newspapers, have also displayed scant knowledge of the city affairs, and have in the process done some inaccurate reporting in respect of landmarks and the problems. The flooding is going to lead first to a drinking water crisis in the capital with three water treatment plants being shut. In addition, what is scary is that there is going to be an outbreak of epidemics, mostly connected with water-borne disease. No one is looking at this, but are our hospitals equipped to take care of this outbreak. In July, 1988, the then Prime Minister, Rajiv Gandhi after returning from Moscow, on the same afternoon, visited East Delhi areas such as Nand Nagri, Sunder Nagri and Gokulpuri, severely affected by the outbreak of Cholera and Gastro Enteritis. He also inspected the state of hygiene and sanitation, and before the evening was out, he had sacked the then Lt.Governor, the Chief Secretary, Heads of the DDA and MCD as also Engineers of three major civic agencies of the city.
A similar action after fixing responsibility and accountability needs to be taken even now. What is being witnessed in Delhi also makes a strong case in favour of the city being granted full statehood, where the buck stops at one place instead of multiple agencies, each overseen by officers with very little grasp of what they are against. The argument that Delhi is the capital and thus cannot be given Statehood is what most bureaucrats would want politicians to believe. However, the overall population of the city is more than many of the States, and there is urgent need for self-governance. The National Capital like Washington DC can be a small dedicated area in the Lutyens Zone, and the rest of the city can be administered by those who are accountable to the people. The argument being put forward by politicians that Delhi witnessed four or five times the rain is not valid, because no work has been done at the ground level either. The blame game between Delhi and Haryana is also uncalled for since in both States, glaring issues of maladministration have come to light. Those in power at the Centre or in the States and Union Territories must ensure that the citizens do not suffer. The governments and their motto should be citizen centric and not power centric as seems to be the case. Delhi despite so many resources at its command, has collapsed and like many previous years, no lessons are likely to be learnt. Heads must roll to set an example.