BJP-led municipal corporations in the city on Thursday marked Good Governance Day on the occasion of the birthday of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, by cleaning streets, launching new civic schemes and distributing blankets to the needy.
Top officials of the North Delhi Municipal Corporation (NMC) said a cleanliness drive was carried out in areas in its Narela Zone, sanitation and other department staff was also given a motivational talk to drive home the message of the day.
“We decided to launch a few new projects on this august occasion, besides carrying out sanitation drive and holding motivational talks for our staff. In Ward No. 1, we launched a `6.7 crore road construction and drainwater cleaning project,” Chairman of Standing Committee of NMC, Mohan Bhardwaj said.
“We organised motivational talk to some of our staff in Swatantra Nagar area of Narela. They were all largely receptive and understood the importance of the day, but a few also whispered, apparently asking why work on a day, which is otherwise a holiday,” he said.
South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) too, observed Good Governance Day, as mandated by the Centre, and some of its top officials went and met Vajpayee at his residence to convey their wishes on the occasion to the veteran BJP leader.
“In Vikaspuri area, in the morning, we offered labour by cleaning a public market. Member of Parliament (West Delhi) Parvesh Sahib Singh Verma also joined us in our efforts to mark the day, as envisioned by the Central Government,” Standing Committee Chairman of the SDMC Subhash Arya said.
Arya, an old-timer at the BJP, said he addressed a gathering also to share with them his life and times with Vajpayee. “As a party member, I have many memories with him. Once during the Emergency, he was under house arrest and I had to go see him, so I dressed up as a sardar, met him and took the message, he had to deliver to us, as he was not well,” he said.
“Some of us met him today and conveyed our regards. We are also very happy to learn about the decision to give him the Bharat Ratna award,” he said. Arya said, “To further mark the day, we went to a blind school and offered blankets and dry fruits to the 70 students there.”
But, opposing voices in the BJP-ruled municipal bodies, asked the relevance of the day, saying, “Isn’t good governance the job of MCDIJ” East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC) too organised activities to mark the day, that coincides with Vajpayee’s 90th birthday. North Delhi Mayor Yogender Chandolia and Municipal Commissioner
PK Gupta also were present at the Karol Bagh Zonal office to mark Good Governance Day, the NMC said. The NMC, on Wednesday, even launched a Unique Property Identification Code (UPIC) project to bring greater transparency and trace defaulters in its property tax collection procedure, as part of the Good Governance Day.