Delhi polls: What do the people want from the new government?

With the upcoming Delhi Assembly elections, which are scheduled to take place early next year, not only the political parties but the people of Delhi are also ready with a list of things that the new government should work on.

“Business is my priority. Demonetisation and GST (Goods and Service Tax) have affected every business person. It would be a relief if the next government can work on ways to reduce their impact. Also there are some laws which do not work properly in Delhi and the party elected should work on them too. For example, I have been paying conversion charges for the last 12 years whereas according to the Act, a person who has paid the charges for 10 years is exempted from it further. When I ask the authorities about it, they say that they have no information regarding the exemption,” said CV Gupta, who owns a mobile phone retail shop at Laxmi Nagar. The conversion charge is what citizens pay to convert residential places into commercial establishments.

“There are some policies that are causing a lot of inconvenience to people such as the recent decision by the Delhi government that women will be not be charged for using public transport in the capital. instead of allowing them to travel free of charge, the government could have reduced the charges for women,” Gupta added.

Similarly, people want the next government to work and get rid of garbage on roads in Delhi.“Cleanliness is the biggest concern for the people of Delhi. I would say that the government should implement proper waste management so that the roads in the city are clean. The health and education sectors are well taken care by the government but the cleanliness issue is not addressed much,” said Sanjay Sunderam, a resident of Laxmi Nagar in East Delhi.

“The crime rate in the city has also gone up. Take, for example, the instances of car thefts. They are on the rise from a long time. The government should take measures to curb such crimes,” he added.

People also worried about the increasing cost of education in the city. “The cost of education keeps on increasing. The government should put a bar on fees charged by schools so that everybody is able to afford quality education for their children,” said Sangeetha Jha, a teacher.

“The next government should also work for women safety. There must be CCTV cameras in all the public transport and lady police should be employed more,” Sangeetha added.

Women safety on Delhi roads is a concern of the majority of women. They insist that the government should take strict action to safeguard women on roads.

“There is a lot to be done regarding women safety in Delhi. When I travel, I have even observed that there are no street lights at some places. Also, the pollution of Delhi is a major problem. Though the government is working on it by bringing measures such as odd-even rule but still it is not under control,” said Sonya, a student.

“I do not know who would form the next government in Delhi but from what I hear from people, the current Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has an edge over others,” said Rakesh Bhalla, an auto driver.

(The reporter is an intern with Delhi Bureau)

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