Clearing Delhi's landfill sites, ending corruption in MCD among AAP's 10 guarantees for municipal polls

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Clearing the three landfill sites, a corruption-free civic body and relief from the stray menace form the backbone of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's 10-point guarantee for the MCD polls.

The AAP national convener on Friday announced 10 guarantees for residents of the national capital ahead of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) elections.

He also referred to the guarantees as nothing less than "Fevicol ka jod".

Through these guarantees, Kejriwal presented a blueprint to make Delhi the "best global city".

Taking on the BJP, Kejriwal asserted that the saffron party would not win more than 20 seats in the high-stakes contest on December 4.

Kejriwal said the BJP, which has governed the civic body for the last 15 years, released a 'sankalp patra' and threw it in the trash after the elections.

"After December 7, their 'wachan patra' (pledge letter) will also meet the same fate. In the last elections, the BJP said they would clear out the garbage mountains; now they say every city has these. Do London, Tokyo, New York, Washington and Paris have garbage mountains?" he asked.

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Kejriwal said the people of Delhi were eagerly awaiting the elections so that they could bring the AAP to power.

"The incumbent MCD government has cheated the people of Delhi. AAP gives guarantees. Our guarantees are like Fevicol ka kod," he said.

He also announced that the APP would fulfil each guarantee before the next elections.

Under the first guarantee, Kejriwal said Delhi's garbage mountains would be cleared and the city beautified.

"We will also shelve their (BJP's) plan of building 16 new garbage mountains. We will call experts from London, Paris, Tokyo to work this out. We will clean up the roads and galis (alleys) of Delhi," he said.

The AAP has long alleged that the BJP, during its tenure in the MCD, had planned to create 16 landfill sites alongside the three existing ones at Ghazipur, Okhla and Bhalswa.

Assuring that the MCD would be rid of corruption as part of the second guarantee, Kejriwal claimed that the building department was the most corruption-prone and the process of clearing all plans and maps would be digitised and simplified.

"Like faceless governance in the Delhi government, we will do something solid here too. We will bring a one-time scheme to regularise minor violations in buildings," he said.

The third, fourth and fifth guarantees include solving the parking crisis, ending the stray-animal menace and repairing roads under the MCD.

"There are a lot of stray cows, dogs and monkeys that cause problems for residents. We will bring a solution for them too. All MCD roads are dilapidated today. We will repair them and ensure that they no longer hinder anyone's commute," he said.

Schools, dispensaries and hospitals of the MCD are in disrepair, Kejriwal said, and promised to transform them "like we have done under our government" under the sixth guarantee.

Noting that the parks under the MCD "are a disaster", Kejriwal said he intended to give a facelift to them and make Delhi a city of beautiful parks.

"The eighth guarantee is regularisation of contract workers. Many employees are not paid for months; they will all be paid on time. No matter how we arrange funds, everyone will get their salaries within the first week of the month," he said.

Alleging that traders were under severe distress due to the "bribes" that need to be paid to obtain a licence, he said the AAP planned to simplify and digitise the system.

"We will end conversion and parking fees. We will end the 'inspector raj'. We will open up all the sealed shops and hear all the concerns of traders and resolve them," he said.

Under the tenth guarantee, Kejriwal promised to grant licences to hawkers to sit in vending zones.

"We will make vending zones for hawkers so they do not get hassled like they do now. The Delhi government had made the policy many years ago but the MCD never implemented it. We will give licences to hawkers to sit in these vending zones and support them to live a life without fear and corruption," he said.

Kejriwal also raised the issue of free yoga classes and campaigns such as 'Red Light On, Gaadi Off', he appealed to the electorate to not cast their votes for people who obstruct progress.

"Vote for the ones who will bring progress. Don't vote for the ones who stopped yoga, vote for the ones who started yoga. Vote for the ones who made schools for your children, not for the ones who fight and abuse.

"Don't vote for those trying to stop Delhi, Delhi must grow. Vote for those who will help Delhi grow. Don't vote for those who want to harm this nation, vote for those who want to make India number one," he said.

AAP leaders have exuded confidence during the course of the election campaign and predicted a landslide victory. Kejriwal echoed their sentiment and said, "This time around, the BJP will go on to win less than 20 seats. I can give this to the media in writing."

The chief minister also alleged that the elections to the MCD and the Gujarat Assembly were being held at the same time to stop the AAP.
"But we will win both Gujarat (Assembly) and MCD polls," Kejriwal said.

The BJP has been in power in the MCD -- trifurcated in 2012 into north, south and east corporations and then unified this year -- for three straight terms. Results of the elections to the 250-ward MCD will be declared on December 7.

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