Setting aside politics, the Centre and the AAP Government, along with local bodies in the Capital, have come together on a single platform to make Delhi clean. For the first time, senior BJP leader and Union Urban Development Minister M Venkaiah Naidu, AAP convener and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, his deputy Manish Sisodia and Mayors of three municipal corporations on Sunday shared the dais and launched a campaign “Swachchh Delhi Abhiyan” to make Delhi free of garbage and construction debris.
The Union Minister also handed over a cheque of Rs96.7 crore to the Delhi Government as funds from the Urban Development Ministry, which Kejriwal promptly handed over to the urban local bodies at the event.
Apart from Rs96.70 crore for ‘Swachchh Delhi Abhiyan”, Naidu announced a package of Rs3,250 crore as special assistance for decongestion of roads and development of the Capital. Under the package announced by Naidu, the Delhi Government will be provided with Rs1,500 crore, DDA with Rs1,665 crore and North Delhi Municipal Corporation with Rs85 crore for executing various projects.
Speaking at the event, Naidu said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal should not become “enemies” in politics. “We should set aside politics and work together to make Delhi, which is a mini-India, clean. I’m delighted to be a part of this initiative, where all the three levels of governance — Centre, Delhi administration and urban local bodies — have decided to work in tandem to rid Delhi of filth, garbage and other waste. This is not BJP team or AAP team but ‘Team India’.
“Our Constitution makers dreamt a federal structure and this (event) is finest example of co-operative federalism, but it should also be cooperative and competitive federalism, so that other States can take a cue from it and deliver the best,” Naidu said, adding, “We need to respect people’s mandate to Modi and Kejriwal and should not become enemies in the politics, but instead focus on development. We are not enemies but political rivals and we must treat each other with respect.”
“A good beginning has been made,” Naidu said, referring to the event, which was also attended by New Delhi MP Meenakshi lekhi, leader of Opposition in Delhi Assembly Vijender Gupta, senior officials from both Delhi and Central Governments, among others.
Political experts said that if this campaign is a success, Kejriwal, the person who so far was known for constantly fighting with the Centre and shifting blame on the BJP-ruled civic bodies, will script a new chapter of cooperative federalism, something which the national Capital needs more than any other States in the country. “It is a very positive development for the people of Delhi that the Delhi Government, civic bodies and the Centre are coming together to clean Delhi. It would become clear that even if the centre, state and civic bodies are led by parties of varying ideologies and composition, they could come together to resolve a people’s issue and work for social good,” they said.
Touching briefly on the “intolerance” issue, Naidu said, “People’s mandate should not be questioned. The BJP was given a massive mandate in lok Sabha polls, AAP was given in Delhi elections, and so it should be allowed to function.”
The Union Minister later also handed over a cheque of Rs 96.7 crore to the Delhi Government as funds from the Urban Development Ministry, which Kejriwal promptly handed over to the urban local bodies at the event.
The Delhi Chief Minister also hailed the event as “the true spirit of cooperative federalism” and said “political divisions” should not deter us from acting in public good. “I will tell you our problem in cleaning our cities is not technicalities, but the missing political will. And, today that political will I see here, from Centre to the local bodies.... And, I credit Naiduji for the positive attitude from his side. I am sure, if we can work together, we can solve our problems, and people will appreciate us all,” Kejriwal said.
Under the over-arching framework of the ‘Swachchh Bharat’ initiative, the Delhi Government had on November 16 launched the ‘Swachchh Delhi App’ which allows people to take pictures and lodge complaints in connection with sanitation conditions in the city. Senior Delhi Government officials at the event announced that over 13,000 complaints have already been received at the central control room and accordingly forwarded to the respective local body.
In his address the Union Minister also said that in Delhi, “1.25 lakh individual household toilets are to be built by 2019, but work in this regard is still to commence.” He asked Kejriwal to look into this matter. “But more than schemes and actions, we need a change in mindset of people to keep their surrounding clean. That would be out true tribute to the Mahatma on his 150th birth anniversary,” he added.
The initiative comes close on the heels of the sanitation crisis in the city after the employees of civic bodies went on strike over non-payment of salaries, an issue on which the BJP-ruled municipal corporations and the AAP Government had traded charges.
At the event, the Union Minister also did a virtual inauguration of a 500-tonne capacity construction and demolition waste management plant at Shastri Park in east Delhi. Kejriwal, pointing out issues faced in carrying out sanitation activities in the city, said the biggest problem is multiplicity of agencies. “Our priority includes cleaning the city and cleaning Yamuna. But, as long as there is multiplicity, Yamuna cannot be cleaned in even 100 years,” he said.
“So like DMRC (Delhi Metro), if a special purpose vehicle could be made, it will go a long way in solving our problems and make Delhi a cleaner place, much quicker,” Kejriwal said.
The Delhi Chief Minister said, “Cleaning a city is not rocket science. And, we may squabble over jurisdiction, but people see garbage lying on the roads as failure of the entire administration. And, therefore we should forget our political divisions and work for a better and cleaner Delhi together. We should not criticise but cooperate with each other. I can assure you during this drive if there is any dispute over jurisdiction for picking up waste, we will take care of that,” he added.