Govt failed to carry out work in illegal colonies, says Subhash Chopra

NEW DELHI: Launching a scathing attack on chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, former Delhi Congress president Subhash Chopra on Monday said that the ruling AAP government has not only failed to carry out developmental works in unauthorised colonies, but has also failed to carry out in-situ projects for slum dwellers in the capital.

He alleged that instead of giving licences to five lakhs vendors in the capital, the government has removed 1.65 lakh vendors during its three-year rule.

Mr Chopra said that three years have passed and not a single unauthorised colony has been regularised by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government.

He alleged that the ruling government has meted out a step-motherly treatment to 40 lakh people living in illegal colonies; no development works have been initiated in these areas.

Furthermore, Mr Chopra claimed that the previous Congress government in Delhi had spent Rs 4,200 crore for the development of unauthorised colonies, and had regularised 895 of cuscolonies.

“Post Congress regime, all development works in illegal colonies were halted, not a brick was laid, and not a single unauthorised colony was regularised,” he claimed.

The Congress leader also said that the AAP’s own manifesto for 2015 had pledged to utilise the 200 acres of vacant land for constructing houses for weaker sections of the society.

“Despite the fact that land is already available with the Kejriwal government, it has not bothered to construct a single dwelling unit for the poor,” he added.