Dinesh Kamath's Editorial 'The achievements and failures of AAP government in Delhi' that was published in Newsband

The achievements and failures of AAP government in Delhi

There is a need for AAP government to repair its relationship with the bureaucracy. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s government in Delhi has had a history of conflict and confrontation with the police and the bureaucracy. Aam Aadmi Party MLAs have been accused of assaulting the Chief Secretary in his presence. This has led to the arrest of one AAP MLA and a display of solidarity within the bureaucracy,

It is well known that Kejriwal’s discomfiture with the bureaucracy is a result of having to deal with officers who report directly to the Lt. Governor. Kejriwal and his party would do well to work within the existing institutional arrangement.

Some say that the BJP, the AAP’s main rival, is attempting to stymie its attempts to govern Delhi effectively. The AAP has for long complained that the Centre is paralysing its executive functions through the Lt. Governor and that the bureaucracy is refusing to obey government orders.

In the long run, the party’s political future will depend more on how it governs Delhi and less on how aggressively it protests about its lack of administrative power.

CM Kejriwal’s to do list in the coming year will include construction of roads and drains in unauthorised colonies, installation of CCTV cameras and completion of the Mohalla Clinics project. There will be massive investment in roads. Within a year, roads and drains in all unauthorised colonies would be constructed. As far as the free WiFi service is concerned, the entire budget for the service would be allocated in 2018-2019.

Kejriwal admits that there has been a lot of investment in infrastructure over the years in Delhi, but 70% to 80% of Delhi has been left out. His vision is that Delhi becomes a vibrant, pollution-free and smart city. Kejriwal complains that “fake cases” had been filed against AAP MLAs and Bills passed by the Delhi Assembly, including the Jan Lokpal Bill, were kept pending by the Centre.

Kejriwal’s government has taken some positive steps. It committee approved construction of bus depots. Projects worth a total of ₹1,250 crore that cover healthcare, transport and flood control have been cleared by the Delhi government’s Expenditure Finance Committee (EFC). The setting up of 94 polyclinics, enhancing the number of beds at seven hospitals and construction of five new bus depots were approved. The committee also cleared a proposal of the Irrigation and Flood Control department for the construction of a concrete wall along the Najafgarh pond drain.

So these are the achievements and failures of AAP government in Delhi.