The Hindu : New Delhi News : Sheila team's report card below par

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Dec 14, 2004

New Delhi

New Delhi

Sheila team's report card below par

By Sujay Mehdudia

NEW DELHI, DEC. 13. Even as the Sheila Dikshit Cabinet completes one year in office this Tuesday, the weight of expectations and sluggishness on various fronts seem to have taken a toll on its performance. Although there have been individual achievements, the fact that "Team Delhi'' has not been able to deliver collectively calls for a shake-up in the Administration as well as the Council of Ministers, according to political observers here.

Once again the Chief Minister, Sheila Dikshit, has emerged as the leading performer along with the Finance and PWD Minister, A.K. Walia. The performances of other Ministers are described by observers as patchy. Many of the Ministers are yet to get control of their departments and their job has been made difficult with the placement of inconvenient officers who just refuse to listen to them, creating problems in the administration and their working.

Observers are of the view that the "development agenda'' has run into rough weather, threatening the pace of reforms. Be it the issue of dealing with pollution, cleaning of the Yamuna, promise to eliminate tented schools and those running in semi-pucca structures, providing reasonable health care facilities, cleaning the city or undertaking its beautification, maintenance of roads or completion of infrastructure projects, everything seems to have suddenly gone off-track. The much-touted dream of turning Delhi into a world-class city as well as a cyber city is yet to take off as the Information Technology Parks announced four years ago are nowhere near completion.

Suddenly the 2010 Commonwealth Games have become the focus of attention and everything from building roads to hospitals is being connected with the holding of this major event. What's most alarming is the latest reports of World Bank and Asian Development Bank which have termed Delhi as the most polluted city. All this after the Sheila Dikshit Government put in a tremendous effort and also achieved a lot to change the skyline and the night sky of the Capital. The gains of successful implementation of the CNG programme for public transport suddenly seems to have disappeared as pollution levels are now showing an upward trend. The ambitious clean Yamuna campaign has turned into a lost cause going nowhere. The medical facilities have left much to be desired as the government hospitals are often hit by shortage of medicine, poor maintenance or lack of availability of para-medical staff.

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