NEW DELHI: Voters from slum clusters, wooed extensively by all key players in the Assembly elections, largely claimed that their lot had improved under the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) regime. “Roads in our area are in poor state. Though the government started construction and re-laying work last year, it came to a sudden halt. It turns out that there was an issue with the contractor, which hurt the project. However, we’re happy that the government took the initiative in the first place. I voted for the government’s intent,” Babu Khan, a resident of a slum cluster in Mustafabad, said.
Sunita Show, a resident of Kangar Mohalla in Tughlaqabad village, said, “Water supply isn’t regular. It comes once in three days. Work in some of the lanes remains unfinished. However, having said that, one has to concede that our standards of living have improved.” Slum clusters and other under-developed areas of the city saw a robust turnout of voters on polling day. Most of the voters said they were largely satisfied with precious few initiatives taken by the AAP government over the last few years, while adding that a lot remains to be done.
While the government’s announcement to make electricity free of charge, upto 200 units of consumption, had been a big talking point among voters leading up to the elections, several people, who reside as tenants, said they are still paying R8-R10 per unit to the owners. The government did announce a separate power scheme aimed at benefitting tenants.
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Long queues were noticed outside polling booths at Ghonda and Karawal Nagar, which are home to slum clusters as well.