The Aam Aadmi Party government on Saturday conducted public meetings in six constituencies of Delhi in the second phase of its participatory budgeting exercise.
Public meetings were held at various locations in Dwarka, Chattarpur, Karawal Nagar, Okhala, Bawana and Patparganj. The Janata ka Budget (People’s Budget) initiative was launched on April 19 by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in Patparganj.
According to officials, about 200-300 people turned up at each public meeting, and most raised local civic and security issues. The meetings were chaired by Sub-Divisional Magistrate-level officers and MLAs from the constituency. Senior officials from various department were also present.
“Going to the public for budget has helped the government understand local needs, which cannot be addressed from the Secretariat. Locals informed officials that a pipe should be fixed, which can solve the water problem. They also spoke about how some areas are in an extremely bad shape due to tussle between government agencies,” said Dwarka MLA Adarsh Shastri.
The exercise with continue on Sunday and subsequent meetings will be held on weekends. The budget is expected to be presented in Delhi Assembly in the first week of June.
In some areas, people gave priority to security over civic issues. In Karwal Nagar, most people have voted for CCTV cameras and a gate for security in residential areas over other issues, officials said. Demand for sewage facilities, clean water and library were common in all the meetings.
“During the meeting, I made a proposal to allot Rs.5 lakh for maintenance of cremation ground, ambulance in each ward and water booster pump to address water supply issue, and people voted for the same in large numbers,” said Karawal Nagar MLA Kapil Mishra.
For Okhala residents, water supply was the top priority, shutting down of liquor shops was the next. “We conducted eight meeting in Okhala, which witnessed a good turnout of 500-600 people in each meeting. On Sunday, we will hold meetings in re-settled areas and DDA colonies, followed by Muslim-dominated areas during the next week,” Okhala MLA Amanatullah Khan.
“Delhi has been divided into 12 segments, with Rs.20 crore allotted to each. These segments will be further divided into 40 parts, so each gets Rs.50 lakh,” an official added. — PTI
In some areas, people gave priority to security over civic issues, though demands for sewage facilities, clean water and library were common in all meetings
