Delhi: Civic elections to be acid test for AAP

New Delhi: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government will complete two years on Tuesday. This year will be critical for the party as it will contest its maiden municipal corporation elections. Political pundits said that the party’s success in the national capital will be reflected in its performance in the civic polls due in April.

After storming to power by securing 67 out of 70 seats, the AAP is yet to implement some of its key schemes, including providing Wi-Fi in public zones, installing 10-15 lakh CCTV cameras across Delhi, bringing a law for devolution of power to mohallas, and setting up of subsidised canteens.

The party in its poll manifesto had promised to significantly improve public transport, but the Kejriwal dispensation could not add even a single bus to the existing fleet of the DTC. There was no progress toward fulfilling the promise of ensuring last-mile connectivity. It had also promised to create eight lakh jobs during its tenure, but nothing concrete has been initiated on this front.

Some of the major initiatives of the AAP government could not see the light of day due to its constant run-ins with the Centre which adversely affected the overall governance of the city.

However, the newly appointed lieutenant-governor, Anil Baijal, has given indication that he is ready to adopt a cooperative approach in dealing with the AAP government so as to ensure speedy implementation of developmental initiatives.

The acrimonious relation between the Centre and the city government hugely affected the pace of governance in the city. Ever since Mr Baijal has taken charge on December 31, 2016, there has been no major controversy between the LG office and AAP dispensation. The AAP government, who used to slam Mr Jung on several occasions over a range of issues, including transfers and postings of officers, has distanced itself from criticising Mr Baijal so far.

Mr Baijal has cleared the Kejriwal government’s flagship project of setting up mohalla clinics in school premises, which had been turned down by Mr Jung. The last two years also witnessed the calling of several special sessions of the Delhi Assembly by the Kejriwal government on several issues. In the transport sector, the government has plans to add 400 new buses to the city’s roads by March next year. It has also set a target of fielding 3,000 mini and midi buses in 2017 and in total, there will be 4,000 additional buses on the roads by the end of this year. Increasing the level of pollution, poor transport infrastructure and development in unauthorised colonies have emerged as major challenges for the AAP dispensation in the last two years.

However, Initiatives such as mohalla clinics and education reforms have attracted accolades.

The AAP government has built around 106 mohalla clinics that are aimed at providing free primary healthcare services to the city residents. The government has also been able to drive the reforms in schools marked by initiatives aimed at sprucing up infrastructure and improving learning standards by getting teachers trained in world class institutes in India and abroad.

In the last two years, there has been no increase in power tariff in Delhi. The Kejriwal government has also set a target of providing potable water in every household by the end of this year.

In September, the Delhi government is expected to launch a common mobility card through which passengers can travel in both metro and DTC buses. The government managed to improve the water distribution network as new areas were brought under the piped water supply network.