The silver street famous for its moonlit magnificence, clustered streets and flourishing traditional bazaars now stands at crossroads gazing in despair at its modern cousins which have received arrhythmic infrastructural upgrades from time to time. Chandni Chowk, one of the most significant Assembly constituencies in the Capital, is now a pale shadow of its glorious self having received little or no infrastructural upgradation in the past two decades.
The commercial hub which made its mark in the top 20 street markets in Asia, is a complete pandemonium and a nightmare for motorists, residents and tourists alike, and the clump streets, which once used to smell of some of the most exotic perfumes and spices, now reeks of open drains and vehicular smoke coupled with constant ringing of rickshaw honks.
During the last 15 years, the constituency has not witnessed any notable improvements. The clogged streets and the ghettos of this bereaved constituency are a classic example of neglected governance. While the area saw rapid commercialisation, there was never sufficient infrastructure to support it, forcing people residing in the narrow katras (lanes) of the walled city to move out. The total electorate in the constituency, which stood at nearly 1.08 lakh in 2008, has 1.04 lakh voters this year.
The dense population in the area continues to struggle with the low quality of life. The dilapidated buildings are nearing a total collapse, while the locals of the constituency live in dismay. Criticising the three-time winner from the constituency, sitting MlA Prahlad Singh Sawhney, the residents said that he has not done anything for the betterment of this area. “I want to ask him does he even know where Mandir Jhajjarwala Katra isIJ He sits in his office and eats money. You can see the sorry state of affairs in the constituency. No development, forget about any new infrastructure, the basic one is not being maintained properly. They took years to even initiate the redevelopment project of Shahjahanabad, which is yet to be accomplished,” said Shobha Sharma, owner of a textile shop in the Katra. The BJP has nominated Suman Gupta, who has been a councillor of the area.
“We have given plenty of chances to the Congress and Sawhney, but they have failed us. All that is left of this area is open pits, stench, traffic jams and deteriorating buildings. Inflation and corruption are broader issues, but first the basic ones need to be resolved. The Congress MlA has not done anything for us,” Ashok Kumar Gupta, a trader and resident of Chandni Chowk. People are at their wits’ end putting up with the basic issues of filthy drinking water, broken roads, traffic congestion and poor sanitation in the area and cannot stop complaining about the “ineffective” Congress rule.
With the alleged “non-performance” by Sawhney and the resentment among people for having voted him to power for the last three times, he may face resistance this time, but the high concentration of Muslims is in the Jama Masjid-Vakilpura area that are the vote bank for the Congress, giving it a fair chance as it relies heavily on the Muslim votes, which form 20 per cent of the electorate in this constituency.
Besides local issues, the inhabitants of this area are also disgruntled by the broader issues of inflation and corruption. Despite the promises of reduction in power tariff and 700 litres free water supply, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which is fielding Vikram Badhwar from the constituency, failed to impress the people here. Badhwar, Secretary of New Delhi’s traders association, seems to be much behind in the race for the seat.