The manner in which life has come to a virtual standstill in almost the entire National Capital Region following a heavy downpour over the weekend, is a reflection on the kind of administration which is in place. This needs to be clearly understood that if the road ahead is to have smart cities, it is also a pre-requisite that we have smart administrators, who are well versed with civic affairs, and are accountable for their actions. The new Parliament is an architectural wonder that needs to be applauded by one and all. However, what needs to be also found out simultaneously is whether the New Delhi Municipal Council, which looks after the civic affairs of the Lutyens Zone, supported this venture by upgrading the corresponding facilities such as sewage and storm water drain outlets. This exercise should have been conducted even when the green signal for the opening of the Pragati Maidan underpass was given. The monsoon rains have made movement in even the NDMC administered areas extremely difficult. The less said about other places, the better. The entire Capital is in a total mess when it comes to dealing with monsoons is concerned. Gurgaon is even worse since roads have been made there without making any provisions for the rain water to escape. The result is that there are heavy traffic jams caused by stalling of cars, and movement across the millennium city becomes impossible. Work on multiple flyovers and underpasses as well as Expressways is in progress and no one seems to be bothered about the chaos on the roads. The timelines have not been kept and projects have got delayed inordinately. The Delhi Jal Board is a big culprit responsible for causing disruption in parts of the capital. It is the propensity of the officials that they tend to dig up roads when the monsoons are on and carry repair work knowing fully well that the disruption makes the lives of people unbearable.
The Delhi Development Authority, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi and other agencies such as the PWD can be easily accused of dereliction of duty and lack of accountability. Like is the norm, bureaucrats hold meetings to create a record and keep the file work intact without caring whether any benefits were being given to the citizens. The Delhi Lt. Governor and the elected government is on a daily basis engaged in a squabble over various issues but seem to be ignoring what was the need of the hour. Regarding Gurgaon and other parts of Haryana, a meeting was held to consider a proposal for keeping restaurants and eating places open 24 hours to give a boost to night life. What gets continuously ignored is that all this would be possible, if there was a good infra-structure and a complete control over the dismal law and order situation. When the day life is impacted by something or the other, how can the night life be secure and smooth. The various agencies working in the capital in particular, need to have their acts together. There can be no excuses offered why this was done or not done and shifting the blame from one body to the other. The buck has to stop somewhere. The NDMC is the richest civic body which has nothing to show so far as making life easier. It is merely engaged in replacing one set of tiles on the footpath with another because it has ample funds and such exercises also probably help those who are corrupt in the organization.
The monsoons are going to be followed by breakout of Dengue, Chikungunya, Malaria, Gastro Enteritis, Cholera and Typhoid etc. Is anything being done in the field? There are video clips making fun of Arvind Kejriwal, which are in circulation on WhatsApp regarding the inability of the government to prevent water logging and smooth passage on roads. That is fine and he is not the only one accountable. What about central agencies and the civic bodies? There are multiple agencies which are at work and they report to their respective bosses in the Centre as well. That is why the BJP was the first one after its inception in 1980, which had demanded full statehood for Delhi, to end this multiplicity of authority. The bureaucrats never allowed this to happen and have convinced successive governments how such an issue would compromise the status of the national capital. In any case, the Lt. Governor in Delhi and the Haryana Chief Minister in Haryana, should convene a meeting of top officials to monitor the emerging situation. Responsibility should be fixed and if necessary, heads should roll. The interest of the citizens is foremost and everything else comes later. If India has to be a super power, it should begin by fixing the basic infra-structure first.