Delhi seems to have already decided who should be at the helm of affairs for the next five years. And for those in doubt, the suspense will be over by the evening of December 8, when results of the 2013 State Assembly elections are declared. The outcome will specify which party the electorate of Delhi has trusted to deliver on its commitments for another round of development.
Irrespective of which party comes to power, six core issues will need immediate attention and time-bound remedies. These are security of women; power at affordable rates; sufficient potable water; better health services; quality education and streamlined traffic along with sufficient infrastructure upgradation. Needless to say, the endeavours of the next Government will have to be in tandem with the fast growing population of Delhi.
Though, successive Governments have worked incessantly in this direction, they have been largely unsuccessful in dealing with the problems of the city. Consequently, The Pioneer, as a concerned entity, has decided to bring to the notice of the subsequent Government, the challenges that Delhi faces today and the recommendations that they need to contemplate and execute. In a two-part series, starting from today, we are making an attempt to draw the attention of the future regime towards these basic, yet crucial issues: Power, road, water, health, education and women’s security.
Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit finds herself in a tough situation when faced with the people’s demand for security of women here. The Chief Minister is thought to be responsible for governance in the city and maintenance of law and order. Ironically, the Delhi Government does not have any control over Delhi Police as the police department reports to the Ministry of Home Affairs and the lieutenant-Governor of Delhi. But, despite these constraints, it is the responsibility of the State Government to provide safety not only to women but to every citizen of Delhi.
During the last decade, Delhi has witnessed a significant increase in employment opportunities along with considerable improvement in infrastructure, basic services and amenities. On an average, Delhi attracts four to five lakh migrants every year who come in search of better education, healthcare and employment opportunities. This puts extra burden on the city’s already depleted water sources.
For Delhi’s population of around 1.69 crore the current demand for water is 1,098 million gallons per day (MGD) while the total supply is 835 MGD. The situation is only expected to worsen with this enormous deficit of 264 MGD between demand and supply.
A big challenge for the new Government will be to find new sources of raw water to meet the ever-growing demand. With nearly 50 per cent of potable water produced in Delhi getting wasted on account of leakages, theft and unequal distribution, the authorities will need to take serious measures to overcome these obstacles.
Electricity is another issue that vexes Delhiites. Be it hikes in power tariff or intermittent supply, consumers are far from satisfied. During the last decade, Delhi’s electricity demand has increased by an average six per cent every year. Even in the next elections in 2018, power will be a serious issue as the projected demand is set to go up to around 9,000 MW by then. Also, peak demand deficit in Delhi has increased from two per cent in 2005-06 to five per cent in 2012-13.
Delhi boasts of the best network of healthcare facilities and service providers in the country. In addition to the 39 hospitals under Delhi Government’s jurisdiction, there are 72 recognised private hospitals in the Capital.
But, a rising population and a steady influx of migrants make even the best healthcare system seem inadequate. Similarly, this population explosion has put tremendous pressure on the education infrastructure. The designated agencies in Delhi and the State Government, which together have the responsibility of providing education, have failed to narrow the gap between demand and supply and have not been able to provide basic infrastructure in schools. They draw flak for lack of basic facilities like clean drinking water, toilets and furniture in schools and have been repeatedly urged to improve the quality of education and basic amenities. The recent Mid-Day Meal controversy is a glaring example of substandard facilities provided to hapless students.
However, despite problems at the school level, Delhi generates a lot of interest among young aspirants across the country because of the quality of higher education that it provides. Scores of ambitious students from all parts of India come to the prestigious Delhi University (DU) to pursue higher education. In all, a total of 6,05,232 students are enrolled in various colleges and universities here. Ironically, a large number of Delhiites fail to get admission in DU each year. Hence, the Government recently decided to provide 90 per cent reservation to students from Delhi in 12 DU colleges which are funded completely by the Delhi Government. However, this is just a drop in the ocean and there is a crying need to improve the existing infrastructure and create new educational facilities.
lastly, the new Government will be required to give special attention to traffic management and infrastructure development. Even though, innumerable flyovers and subways have been constructed for infrastructure development, the fact remains that Delhi’s roads still get submerged whenever it rains, due to poor maintenance.
Several arterial roads which were made signal-free remain congested, especially during peak hours. Unfortunately, these flyovers have not been able to solve the city’s traffic woes and the subways that dot the Capital don’t provide safe passage to pedestrians. Such is the situation that even the most positive thinking and optimistic individuals have started doubting the status of Delhi as a “world-class city”.