Dwarka residents share expectations and concerns ahead of MCD elections

Every election season, residents of Delhi NCR witness candidates and new promises made. However, some of the problems in the sub-city remain unsolved. The date of the MCD election has been announced in Delhi. The poll will be taking place on December 4 and the results will be announced on December 7, 2022.

CitySpidey spoke to some Dwarka residents to know their concerns ahead of the elections. Some of the major issues pointed out by residents are the availability of getting clean and pure water, drainage, water logging, and lack of public toilets.

Ramesh Mumukshu, 60, a resident of Studio Apartment, Janta flats, Sector 16B says,

"Unauthorised construction has been an old problem in the area. Apart from that, open drains can be found throughout the city. The footpath construction has been left half-constructed with tiles halfway down the footpath. The trees are really big and falling on the buildings and roads in the sector which needs immediate attention. Even the big trees are blocking the street lights and making the area dark."

Vinod Rawat, RWA president of Metro View apartments, sector 13 says,

"The roads are in bad condition due to poor maintenance. There are dust and potholes all around. Then there are trees which need to be pruned as they are bending over the flats in our sector. There are some areas which have been blocked by trees on the street. We want our counsellor to look after these problems."

PK Dutta, a nature enthusiast and a resident of Nishat apartments, sector 19 says,

"Drainage has also been an issue which we want to be solved. Waterlogging is a perennial problem in the sub-city. It makes it very difficult for people to walk on the roads. It needs many structural changes."

Madhu Raj, an entrepreneur and resident of sector 6 says,

"Parking has always been an issue for us. Shopkeepers don't get proper parking spaces in the markets. I am fed up with paying 'challans' every other day. We need authorised parking areas for the business owners."

Gayatri Rathod, 48, an entrepreneur and resident of Dwarka Sanmati Apartments, Sector 6, discusses the condition of the road in the Palam area. She says,

"The roads have been in a bad condition for a long time. We cannot walk on that road wearing heels. It is also affecting the efficiency of the vehicles crossing that road daily. Moreover, there are no proper street lights on that road."

Paramheet Sethi, a senior citizen from Prabhavi Apartments, sector 10 says,

"The place becomes dark at night due to the lack of street lights and anti-social elements have made the area unsafe for the residents to walk by." She expects her new counsellor to take this matter into concern and make the area safe for the residents.

Mahesh Gupta, 45, a resident of DDA flats, sector 5 says,

"There are dustbins placed outside our main gate but no maintenance has been done which makes the place dirty. No one cleans the dustbin or that area which has made the area smell foul all the time. On complaining to the counsellor they reply that they have no funds and no monitoring system to solve. The reply to the problem is unacceptable, and the residents want a better solution for their issues before casting a vote for the candidates."

Narendra Singh, a member of RWA sector 8 Block B says that irregular water supply has made life difficult for the residents of sector 8. He alleges that they get the supply of water at 12:30 am. He says,

"It is not convenient to receive water supply at that late hour. We even complained to the official. He justified it by saying 'your house is the last one that is why."