The daylong event, held at the convention centre of New Delhi Municipal Council, was attended by RWA representatives, politicians, ministers, government officials, environment experts, water experts and senior Delhi police officials.
To discuss pertinent issues including air pollution and parking, United Residents’ Joint Action (URJA), the umbrella body of city RWAs, held a daylong seminar yesterday at the convention centre of New Delhi Municipal Council.
About 200 politicians, ministers, government officials, environment experts, water experts, senior Delhi police officials and RWA representatives attended the event.
Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, water minister Rajendra Pal Gautam, Delhi BJP president and MP Manoj Tiwari, and officials of DDA and DJB gave short presentations at the meeting.
Experts from different fields such as Dr Bhurelal, chairman of Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control Authority); economist Laveesh Bhandari; Anumita Roychowdhari from Centre For Science and Environment, amon others, attended the programme.
RWAs also raised questions on the government’s new parking policy. “The government has suddenly increased parking charges, but not the facilities. A lot of public land has been illegally encroached upon, where parking lots could have been developed, but government agencies are more bothered about passing the buck,” an RWA representative complained.
Roychowdhari said, “Both the government and the people are equally responsible for growing air pollution in the city. The government has failed to bring in new measures, but people in the city, too, are not serious about the issue. They are still burning garbage in the open!”
Towards the end, URJA secretary Ashutosh Dikshit urged all RWAs to step up and take responsibility of making their areas clean and green. He added, “Blaming politicians is easy, but what about our role?”
