Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit's claim of giving Delhi a facelift invited sharp criticism from BJP’s CM candidate Harsh Vardhan on Thursday who said that even Connaught Place resembles a remote village now and the rest of the parts were even worse.
He alleged that over 30,000 people in 13 slums in Dikshit's constituency were forced to lead a miserable life due to Government's apathy. "Dikshit is the Chief Minister of Delhi for the last 15 years, but the condition of Connaught Place in her Assembly Constituency is just like a remote village, what to say about the rest of the Capital. Renovation works began during the Commonwealth Games, but even today CP is full of potholes. The cost of renovation has increased by manifolds. As many as 30,000 people living in 13 slums in this area do not get the supply of drinking water and other facilities," said Vardhan. He lamented that more than 15,000 families in Balmiki Bastis are living in a pathetic condition. "The condition of the backyards of MPs' and Ministers' residences is hellish. Nobody is taking care of that either," he added.
Besides the prominent installations like Parliament House, President House, PM Residence and all the important Ministries of the Central Government, the New Delhi areas also have 16 dhobi ghats and over a dozen slums. "livelihood of about 10,000 is connected with these dhobi ghats. In the last 15 years, the condition of these dhobi ghats has become pathetic," he said adding that the CM was also the chairperson of several committees in her constituency, yet she failed to address these issues.