The Hindu : New Delhi News : BJP promises BRT, Metro for Delhi Cantonment

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Saturday, May 17, 2008
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BJP promises BRT, Metro for Delhi Cantonment

Gaurav Vivek Bhatnagar

Party had strongly opposed the bus corridor in South Delhi

BJP rallies in all the eight wards on the last day of campaigning for Cantonment Board polls
Party promises to provide “sweet” Yamuna water in the area once elected

NEW DELHI: While it had opposed tooth and nail the much talked about Bus Rapid Transit corridor between Ambedkar Nagar and Delhi Gate that was earlier called the High Capacity Bus System, the Bharatiya Janata Party has now pledged itself to facilitating a similar “high capacity bus” system in the Delhi Cantonment area should it be voted to power in the Cantonment Board elections due this Sunday.

On Friday, the last day of campaigning for the Delhi Cantonment Board elections, the BJP released a 12-point development pledge for the area. Besides the high capacity bus system, it also vowed to bring the Delhi Metro to the Delhi Cantonment.

Stating that various development activities that had come to a halt would be revived, the BJP said it would also work towards providing “sweet” Yamuna water in the area, giving ownership rights to the residents of Prahladpur, Old Nangal, Jharera, Mehram Nagar and East Mehram Nagar villages; water, power and other facilities in the jhuggis of Kirby Place and Brar Square; and tenancy rights to the residents of Sadar Bazar and renewal of lease for the houses in Gopinath Bazar.

The party also promised a “baraat ghar” (community hall for weddings), more schools, dispensaries and parks in every wards, new swimming pools and sports complexes, and a new 100-bed hospital within the General Hospital. Finally, it promised to give permanent stalls to the “rehri patri” vendors (hawkers).

On the last day of campaigning, the BJP also organised rallies in all the eight wards of the Cantonment. Senior party leaders Vijay Kumar Malhotra and Harsh Vardhan, who have from day one been campaigning hard, expressed confidence that the party would sweep the polls as people were fed up with the policies of the Congress in the Centre and in Delhi. They claimed that the massive price rise and inflation, coupled with problems related to water, power, roads and sanitation in the Delhi Cantonment would spell doom for the Congress.

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