If only elections were held every year!

New Delhi: Until a few hours before dates for the Lok Sabha elections were announced, parties in the city were vying with each other for gaining the attention of the electorate. From inaugurating high-mast lights to malaria offices to renaming of roads and opening gyms or even sewer lines, political leaders were busier than ever in the past fortnight or so.
Be it councillors, MLAs or MPs, no stone was left unturned in wooing voters, who are obviously perceived as having “short memories”.
The South Delhi Municipal Corporation, which is financially the most stable among the three civic bodies, launched — or inaugurated — over 25 projects in the recent times. From bigger projects like a waste-to-wonder park, a bio-machination plant or automated parking projects to much smaller ones like open gyms and streetlights, the councillors were cutting ribbons almost everywhere.
Last Friday, health vans were flagged off by BJP state president Manoj Tiwari; Wednesday saw Union home minister Rajnath Singh laying the foundation stone for primary schools; prior to this, parking projects were kicked off in Adchini and Lajpat Nagar-III.
With huge budget deficits, north and east corporations were short on cash and mega projects as well. So, EDMC mainly focused on renaming streets and minor repair work. Krishna Nagar multi-level parking was the sole exception — however, the project was eight years behind schedule.
The MP-MLALAD funds were also utilised for important projects, such as purchase of e-vehicles and compactors for garbage and setting up of new dhalaos or revamp of school buildings. EDMC mayor Bipin Bihari Singh told TOI: “Any government work requires 5-6 months of formalities. Politicians have to get behind officials to push the process. It’s not that work doesn’t happen through the year.”
In north Delhi, elected councillors and Union ministers inaugurated the Gandhi Nagar parking project as also being involved in renaming of roads and other such events.
Mukesh Goel, former leader of opposition and councillor from north Delhi’s Dhirpur, said: “Parties have made it a trend to participate in even useless events prior to elections. For every foundation-laying ceremony, BJP gets fund sanctioned from the corporation’s treasury even as the civic agency is going through a severe financial crisis.” Demanding a check on such “useless spending”, Goel alleged: “There have been many cases where work has not started at the site years after inauguration. The projects are now being inaugurated again.”
Among the projects inaugurated by AAP-led Delhi government were drain work in 485 streets of Tughlaqabad, new foot overbridges at Malviya Nagar, RK Puram, Mehrauli and Delhi Cantonment and relaying of streets and sewer lines in several unauthorised colonies.
AAP spokesperson Saurabh Bharadwaj said public memory was short and therefore the trend to highlight the work before elections. “Also, MPs have to spend all their funds before elections, or else these will lapse. After the model code of conduct sets in, no new project can be implemented for the next four months.”
However, he added, “there are two kinds of inaugurations — first, when tendering is done simultaneously so that work can actually be started on ground and, second, where the foundation-laying ceremony is conducted without taking required sanctions. For example, a foot overbridge at Chirag Dilli was inaugurated four to five times even as no FOB committee ever visited the place.”
For maximum impact, most councillors tried to invite ministers for inaugurations, officials said. “It’s another opportunity to increase their chances of getting a ticket for elections,” an official said.
Then there were instances where projects were allegedly put on hold to ensure that they were opened closer to the elections. “Nandan Van in Greater Kailash was ready for several months, but it was not opened as the political go-ahead wasn’t given,” an official said on the condition of anonymity.
Ashutosh Dixit, chief executive of Urja, an umbrella body of RWAs in Delhi, said the provision that allowed MP/MLAs to carry over funds over to the next year should be done away with. Chetan Sharma, general secretary of confederation of NCR RWAs, said: “Inaugurating small and routine work is one thing, but delaying a project till the elections is criminal conduct.”