BJP’s development plank fails to woo voters

Mangalore Today News Network

New Delhi,Feb 11, 2014, DHNS:  A number of decisions taken by Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government for the development of the national capital for the past few months, appear to have failed to click with the voters.

After the NDA government came to power at the Centre, it tried hard to address a number of issues pertaining to the capital, including law and order, land related issues and beautification of the city.  As the Centre plays a major role in addressing land related matters with the Delhi Development Authority coming under the Ministry of Urban Development, the government tried to attend some of the long-standing issues.

The party election managers had placed high hopes on the recent decisions of the NDA Government, mainly regularisation of illegal colonies, allotment of houses by Delhi Development Authority (DDA), simplification of building bylaws, beautification drive and promulgating ordinance to run battery operated rickshaws.

With the Delhi police functioning under the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Centre tried to modernise the police force to address the growing challenges. As women’s safety was the biggest challenge in the national capital, the Government tried to install CCTVs at several vantage points and increase night vigil by police.

Much of the decisions taken are targeted towards slum clusters, lower middle class and middle class who voted for AAP in the last 2013 polls, but nothing translated into votes for the BJP.

In the last Parliament session, the BJP-led NDA Government hurriedly passed the National Capital Territory of Delhi Laws (Special Provisions) Amendment Bill 2014, which enables regularisation of unauthorised colonies and rehabilitation of slum dwellers in Delhi. This will help a large section as 60 lakh people live in 1,939 colonies. 

Targeting long standing issues of the people living in urban villages, The Centre brought an amendment to law that allowed regularisation of existing farmhouses, schools, dispensaries, religious and cultural institutions, warehouses and godowns built on agricultural land.