Missed development bus

For a complete stranger, the first visit to colonies in Kirari constituency in north-west Delhi reminds him of any village in neighbouring Haryana.

Far from the flashy malls and upscale colonies in the heart of Delhi, Kirari seems to have missed the development bus despite being within the territory of the capital.

Civic issues dominate the concerns of the residents even as infrastructure is almost non-existent in rural areas and unauthorised colonies that have mushroomed on farm lands over the last decades.

This constituency was created in the 2008 delimitation exercise. The extent of its territory includes parts of Kirari Suleman Nagar, Nithari and Mubarak Pur Dabas villages.

Poorvanchalis – people with roots mainly in Bihar and eastern Uttar Pradesh – are dominant among the total 2,41,045 voters. Almost 50 per cent voters are Poorvanchalis. There are 1,38,938 male and 1,02,107 female voters here.

Muslims and Brahmin constitute around 10 per cent of the eligible voters.
Last time, the seat was won by BJP’s Anil Jha who defeated the nearest rival of the Aam Aadmi Party Rajan Prakash by 48,526 votes.

The biggest and the most irritating issue is the lack of drinking water. In a majority of households, there is no piped water supply.

Dayanand Ahlawat, a resident of Suleman Nagar, said: “We have been deprived of clean drinking water for so long. Only promises have been made but we are yet to get it.”

Poor drainage too plagues the area. Rahul Mathur, a resident of Prem Nagar, slammed the previous BJP MLA and said: “He claims to have spent crore of rupees in the constituency but we still face the problem of proper drainage. Despite so many complaints, nothing has been done by either the leader or the officials.”

The sewage also flows in open in almost 90 per cent of the constituency’s drains.
A railway crossing divides the constituency in two parts. “There is a traffic jam at the crossing all the time. People need some alternative arrangement — either an underpass or a flyover,” said another resident.

Pratap Vihar resident Banwari Lal Upadhayay said: “For the last seven years, we have been waiting for the development of roads. If you visit our area, you will not find a single road which is in good condition. All the roads are damaged and no repair work has been done so far.”

Sanjay Jha, a resident of Nithari, complained about poor sanitation. Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan saying every legislator must work towards this and set an example, he said.

“The situation here is worse than the slums. Cleanliness and sanitation is a big problem,” he said. For Chhath Puja, there is a big Chhath ghat in Inder Enclave but the spot is always very dirty. “If one can beautify it then it can be used as a recreational public place,” said Urmila, another resident.

Transportation is another issue that the residents want their next legislator to resolve. “There are no direct bus for Bawana and Narela from Kirari, and one has to reach Nagloi to catch bus number 708. So immediately, a bus service should be started,” said another resident.

The constituency residents’ wishlist also includes better public toilets, a mini-stadium, better women safety, jobs and a petrol pump.