INTERVIEW| Old Delhi Vikas board is my dream: Aaley Mohammad Iqbal

A former independent councillor, Iqbal became the youngest councillor in the MCD at the age of 21. This will be his first time contesting the Delhi Assembly elections.
Aaley Mohammad Iqbal
Aaley Mohammad Iqbal
Updated on
3 min read

Former deputy mayor of the MCD, 34-year-old Aaley Mohammad Iqbal, representing the AAP, is contesting from the Matia Mahal constituency in the upcoming Delhi Assembly elections. A former independent councillor, Iqbal became the youngest councillor in the MCD at the age of 21. This will be his first time contesting the Delhi Assembly elections. In an exclusive interview with Ifrah Mufti, Iqbal shared his plans for his constituency. Excerpts:

What would you do differently for your constituency this time if you win?

My biggest plan is to seek support from the government to establish an Old Delhi Vikas Board. Under this initiative, a special budget will be allocated for the development of the area. Another dream is to work on the Jama Masjid Redevelopment Project, which was announced earlier but has faced funding and administrative hurdles over the past five years. Through this Vikas Board, we will address issues like water, sewage, and the problem of unnecessary wiring. We will also utilize vacant properties in the constituency for public welfare, converting them into marriage halls, mohalla clinics, and more. Finally, water scarcity remains a significant issue. Our water supply comes from Wazirabad, which in turn depends on Haryana. Using technology, we aim to improve this situation.

Garbage dumping, landfills, clean Yamuna – in the last elections, Kejriwal had promised on all these issues but those promises remain unfulfilled. Will there be new deadlines set for these promises?

The work will continue. MCD now has a loyal government, and within the next five years, promises like eliminating garbage dumps and cleaning the Yamuna will be fulfilled. As Arvind Kejriwal has stated, the promises were delayed primarily due to the Covid situation and various distractions, including key leaders, such as the CM and deputy CM, being imprisoned. These factors slowed down our progress, but we are committed to addressing these issues.

AAP has been talking about deletion of names and manipulation in the voter list. Your take?

Our senior leader Sanjay Singh informed us that in the New Delhi constituency, 10,000 voters were added in the last 15 days. This raises serious questions. How did this happen? It seems the purpose is to reduce voters, particularly in constituencies where our party has strong support. I hope the EC will take strict action on this matter.

The ‘Matia Mahal Bazaar Lane,’ one of the most famous food streets in Old Delhi, remains ill-maintained. Why can’t this lane be transformed in terms of infrastructure, cleanliness and traffic?

Matia Mahal Bazaar sees the heaviest footfall daily. Garbage has been an ongoing issue. I will encourage market associations to collaborate with relevant agencies to develop the area into a 24x7 food hub. Furthermore, once the Old Delhi Vikas Board is established, infrastructure and cleanliness issues will be addressed.”

What would you say to your BJP opponent? Do you consider your opponent as your competition?

BJP has fielded an outsider. I have been in active politics for a long time but I have never seen her. She is a resident of Hauz Qazi but she has never been socially active. Instead, the BJP should have fielded somebody who was currently an active worker. From the SC seat, she fought in the election two years ago. Meanwhile my competition is not with the opposition but with the work my father has done for the constituency.

Major issues yet to be addressed in Delhi according to you?

I’ll say our party is talking about almost every issue. Meanwhile, the major issues yet to be addressed include pollution, traffic and parking. Our government has been working on pollution and will continue to do it. Traffic is a bigger problem and ideally we should restrict vehicles from the NCR. Thirdly there is a parking mafia going on in Delhi and it needs urgent attention.

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