Delhi: A city of slums and jhuggis
The moneybox has been opened for creating infrastructure and development according to comforts and convenience for millionaires. Commonwealth designed Delhi will be true place suited well for them as it will be money-made heavens.
DELHI GOVERNMENT got a setback in its campaign of projecting Delhi shining in development of infrastructure and a high living standard when Municipal Corporation of Delhi accepted before the Supreme Court that nearly half of 15 million Delhiites live in slums, JJ clusters and unauthorised colonies. This acceptance by the MCD reveals the pathetic condition of people living in the city. The pathetic condition is felt by only either public or intellectuals but not by government. According to MCD’s affidavit in the court about 49 per cent of the total population of Delhi lives in slum areas, unauthorised colonies and about 860 JJ clusters.
This means nearly 73.5 lakh people of the 1.5 crore population live in slums and unauthorised colonies and that only 7.5 lakh Delhiites enjoy civic amenities to the fullest being residents of planned development areas.
These data does not matter to government. Commonwealth Games is the target. Everything is being prepared keeping in mind the fact of organising the CWG. Games venues, hotels, roads, flyovers, metro rail lines and the whole infrastructure are being given shape blindly. This is actually maldevelopment, which is completely irrational. This creates imbalance in development of the whole region. What government projects (completed or running) are doing is nothing more than this and the poor are becoming prey to these projects.
The poor are being thrown in areas where there is filth only. They are being denied a space in the surrounding area, which will be the spotlight places for foreigners. Clearly, if you don’t see poverty around, you will think it does not exist. The government has been quite successful in executing the policy. If we visit Delhi Airport, Gurgaon Expressway, Noida, Delhi Metro, Conought Place, Games Village, etc there has been a complete makeshift or is in the final phase of make-believe frame. But when we take a route of Outer Ring Road side area, we come across the ‘India shining’ truth, where slums, poverty and bad shape of roads are rampant.
The moneybox has been opened for creating infrastructure and development according to comforts and convenience for millionaires. Commonwealth designed Delhi will be true place suited well for them as it will be money-made heaven and the poor can not adjust themselves in any circumstances. Actually, in the name of CWG, government is presenting an excuse to switch spending on an infrastructure for luxury, which is essential for a class that has as much money as it can’t be finished easily.
Public and intellectuals are criticising the policy; government is coming openly supporting its cause of organising the games in royal style. Government is seen advocating and justifying price rise of everything, even essential food items and grains for the poor. Governments are said to be 'royal' and it is well-known that 'royal' don't let the poor to be living in the vicinity. In such condition nothing more could be expected from government. Only patch-up work to loopholes is government policy, it seems!
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