NEW DELHI: The reunification of MCD followed by a political tussle between AAP and BJP has kept the city devoid of a Mayor for nine months. The stalemate has put the city’s Resident Welfare Association in baffled state as they said that development works have stalled and the state of affairs has worsened.
“The governance has been running without accountability for nine months,” said Atul Goel, President, United RWAs Joint Action which is a collective of RWAs. “The waste management and other civic amenities have gone for a toss. Footpaths are broken, debris is piling on the roadside and unauthorised construction is going on a rampant pace,” he said.
Goel also said that the civic body claimed to have spent funds on overhauling the municipal services in view of the G-20 summit but it is not visible on the ground. They also said that the due to lack of working councillors, the system of addressing the grievances of a locality has been in tatters.
“We had a system of jansabha where locals presented their issues with the concerned councillors. Now, we have to rely on the officials who for even a small problem, ask us to file a complaint,” Goel said.
Meanwhile, the RWAs also showed anger towards the political conflict which has led to the disruption of Mayoral poll. “Did we elect those corporators to hurl abuses and blows to each other or raise our issues in the House?” asked Pritam Dhariwal, President, New Delhi RWA Federation.
Dhariwal said this is delaying the development funds which the councillors would have received to invest in their area. “The release of funds would have solved many infrastructural issues starting from roads to drainage and sewage system,” he added.
Officials said the newly elected councillors have become eligible for all allowances, benefits and powers vested in the municipal representatives. However, they will not have immediate access to the funds as the allocation is made in the civic budget which has to be passed by Feb 15, the Delhi Municipal Corporation Act said.