NEW DELHI: Delhi might be the national capital, but the implementation of most of Modi government’s flagship urban schemes has been sluggish in the city.
Concerned over the state of affairs, Union Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs, Hardeep S Puri, has recently sent three letters to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.In a letter sent on December 6, Puri has highlighted civic issues, particularly related to the Swachh Bharat Mission.
He has mentioned that Delhi revised its target of individual household toilets to 435 against the mission target of 1,25,398, as community toilets were considered more feasible. “But, the target for community toilets was increased only by 370 which should have been enhanced by 20,800...,” said the letter.
Flagging the poor utilisation of funds meant for sanitation purposes, Puri said “urgent efforts” were needed to increase spending and ensure delivery of services.Housing is another area where the Kejriwal government has been found lagging behind.
In a letter to the CM last month, the Union minister had reminded him that under Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JnNURM), only 2,201 houses have been allotted so far.
On projects under Atal Mission for Rejuvination and Urban Transportation (AMRUT), Puri said his ministry had approved plans with a total size of `802.31 crore and released the first installment of `160 crore.
But projects worth `143 crore only have been awarded so far. Delhi government spokesman Nagender Sharma said, “Implementation of Swachh Bharat Mission is the job of ciivc bodies. We can’t take over their functions. Similarly, the DDA has built houses in remote areas where nobody wants to shift. DDA and MCD don’t come under Delhi government.”