Urban News

The Pioneer  02.12.2010

Ankur Sirothia | Bhopal

How about having a Corporator for a population of 140 people, it isn't a mere possibility, but the fact for a municipal ward in the State capital where the onset of the slum rehabilitation drive would leave only a handful of people in the ward which as of now has over 14,000 voters.

The situation has come up in ward 31, an area that houses only slum population. Contrary to the Government policy that claims to provide basic civic amenities to urban poor at their settlements, local authorities here have initiated a rehabilitation project that would leave only about 140 people in the ward.

Slum areas of the ward, including Arjun Nagar, Bhim Nagar and Vallabh Nagar will soon be removed due to security concerns, as they stand in close proximity of the State Secretariat, and Assembly complex.

Ironically, despite the willingness of the residents to vacate the hilltop and move to a nearby location, the authorities are bent on disbursing them to different locations on the outskirts of the city and have even started survey work for the relocation. Ward 31 Corporator CM Singh says he has made all out efforts to save the shelters of the slum dwellers that have been living in the area for several decades.

Questioning the mere existence of a Corporator who does not have any people to serve, Singh says he will continue with his struggles for the rehabilitation of the people in the vicinity, though at some distance from the administrative buildings.

However, this demand of the people has already been turned down by the district administration and the civic body on a number of occasions. Pleading anonymity, officials said they are under pressure to undertake the relocation drive.

Meanwhile local residents, in no mood to leave the place, are gearing up for an agitation against the bid.

Notably, around 14,000 voters of the ward reside in the three slum clusters, while the remaining 135 to 140 people are watchmen and peons deployed at the campus of these administrative buildings.

Hindustan Times  29.11.2010

Because the Municipal Corporation of Delhi has been unable to implement night sweeping across the city, the Ministry of Environment and Forest has shot off a letter to the civic agency asking it to give "serious consideration" to the project. An officer on special duty with the environment minister Jairam Ramesh has written to the MCD, saying the ministry has received several petitions on this matter.

Saying that night sweeping reduces pollution level and improves air quality, the letter has asked the civic agency to update the minister on the matter. "The Delhi High Court had directed the MCD to consider introducing night sweeping in the city on the lines of other metropolitan cities," reads the letter.

The letter, which has been sent to municipal commissioner KS Mehra, states that by implementing night sweeping "ambient air quality in morning hours can be improved".

The civic agency has not implemented night sweeping in the city for the past many years citing several reasons. "It is quite difficult to implement this project. Vehicles are parked everywhere on the road how can our staff sweep the streets? Also, a number of our workers are women and they don't feel safe during night," said a senior MCD official. 

Night sweeping was launched in December 2000 at the order of the Delhi High Court on a public interest litigation to curb dust pollution.

"They have been making excuses for the past many years. When other Indian cities can implement it why can't Delhi? Several studies have shown that sweeping roads in the morning adds to morning haze and dust raised during sweeping leads to asthma, bronchitis. It affects people who commute in the morning," said Ravinder Raj who had filed a PIL in the Delhi High Court asking the civic agency to start night sweeping.