The Hindu : New Delhi News : `Councillors should quit'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Nov 15, 2006
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New Delhi

New Delhi

`Councillors should quit'

Staff Reporter

For their failure to handle problems faced by residents: RWAs

NEW DELHI: The United Residents' Joint Action (URJA), a network of several hundred Residents' Welfare Associations (RWAs), on Tuesday demanded resignation of all Councillors from the Municipal Corporation of Delhi for their failure and inability to handle the problems faced by the residents of the Capital.

"It is a farce. No doubt the very people who created corruption that led to the action of the Supreme Court are now feeling pangs of guilt. We welcome this move. Let this be a litmus test for the Councillors. Let them resign en masse," People's Action president Sanjay Kaul demanded.

"What do we need them for? What have they done for the city? Name one significant contribution of the Councillors that has made Delhi a better place to live," said an angry Yatinder Seth of 8-A, WEA Welfare Association, Karol Bagh.

The RWAs are also livid at the inability of the Councillors to take a position all through the sealing and demolitions issue.

"They wanted to run with the hares and hunt with the hounds," said S.P. Gupta of Old Rajendra Nagar RWA. "They did not help when MCD bulldozers broke down people's houses and they did not help when MCD teams undertook sealing and yet they never supported RWAs all through the last one year on the issue of commercialisation of residential areas. They should all resign," he added.

RWAs across the city have expressed disgust at the manner in which Councillors were seen as protecting only their favourites. "We know for a fact that half the MCD Councillors would have laid themselves out in front of bulldozers if the MCD had even turned towards the big fish and political leaders whose constructions are also under scrutiny. But they would never do it for hapless citizens who had in fact paid them money to build extra floors or run their illegal shops," said a trader of a South Delhi colony.

N.N. Mishra of Mayur Vihar RWA said "poor quality of Councillors" was one big reason why Delhi has such a poor administration in the Corporation.

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