Flat landfills on BJP’S agenda too, party vows app for MCD services
NEW DELHI: Union commerce minister Piyush Goyal on Friday released the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)’S 12-point “Sankalp Patra” (manifesto) for the municipal elections, which promised citizen-centric services on mobile phones via a new “My MCD” app, clearance of all landfill sites by 2024, abolishment of factory licences, and housing for slum residents. The manifesto also promised “timely delivery of poll promises”.
The BJP, which is eyeing a fourth term in the corporation, slammed the Aam Aadmi Party (Aap)-led Delhi government for allegedly stalling municipal work, and said that it will fulfil its manifesto with the help of the central government.
While releasing the manifesto, Goyal said, “It is the Kejriwal government’s constitutional responsibility to provide assistance and support to the municipal corporation. But they failed to do so. The
Delhi government was supposed to give ₹42,000 crore as per the finance commission, but they tried to hinder the work of the erstwhile civic bodies by not releasing the fund.” A spokesperson of AAP declined to comment.
The upcoming municipal elections, scheduled on December 4, are crucial for the BJP to remain relevant in the city’s governance system. In 2017, the party won in all three erstwhile municipal corporations with 181 seats despite strong anti-incumbency.
This time, the BJP also promised that it will make all municipal services, including grievance redressal, available on a mobile app “My MCD” within 100 days to ensure transparency in the corporation’s functioning.
The BJP, which is under attack from the AAP in the run-up to the polls over the alleged mismanagement of sanitation services, has promised that the party will work towards making Delhi “green and sustainable”. Delhi BJP chief Adesh Gupta said, “We are committed to clear the three landfill sites by 2024. We are working towards making Delhi garbagefree.”
In a bid to galvanise its support base in the city’s trading community, the party made a host of promises such as abolishing factory licensing from April 1, 2023, discounts in renewal of trade licenses. In the manifesto, the party also promised to provide 200,000 slum residents and 500,000 people living in unauthorised col- onies with housing under PM-UDAY. To be sure, the PM-UDAY is a central government scheme implemented by the Delhi Development Authority and the civic agency doesn’t have a role in its implementation.