Making the final carvings to a six-seater sofa set, carpenter Allah Baksh, a resident of Shiv Vihar, says without looking up: “BJP, Congress and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) are all the same for us. The sewers are still overflowing, the garbage dumps continue to be unpicked and our lives are as miserable as it was.”
Mustafabad in northeast Delhi is a constituency comprising mainly lower middle class population.
The civic issues here are basic: electricity, clean drinking water and sanitation.
Reaching New Mustafabad is a bumpy ride as auto rickshaws refuse to go there. E-ricks are the only viable and cheap option for residents.
‘Things are worse now’
Despite the scorching summer heat, the un-tarred roads here are constantly wet.
The drains overflow into the roads, and sometimes even inside houses.
In 2015, Mustafabad constituency was among three seats won by the BJP, when the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) swept the city.
The results came as a surprise to many of the locals, considering the high Muslim population in the area.
“This seat has been a Congress stronghold in the past. We tried a new party, but nothing changed for us. In fact, things have gone from bad to worse,” says Mumena Begum, a resident of New Mustafabad, a Muslim-dominated neighbourhood.
Large population
The areas under the Mustafabad constituency comprises four wards: Shiv Vihar, Mustafabad, Karawal Nagar (East) and Nehru Vihar.
The area has a total population of 3,11,501, with each of the wards having an average population of 77,875 — the highest among all the 272 wards in Delhi.
This constituency is also among the areas that has witnessed the highest voter turnouts in all elections, mainly as residents vote with the hope of transforming their living conditions.
“When the monsoon starts, the situation becomes worse. The stench makes it difficult to even come out of the house. The roads are in pathetic condition and when the mosquito breeding season starts, one or two people in every house contracts dengue or malaria. We live in an inhuman state,” says Prashant Kumar, a shop owner in Bhagat Vihar.
‘Unauthorised colonies’
Usha Devrani Shastri, BJP councillor from ward number-266, says that the residents here are a victim of multiplicity of authorities. Fixing the sewage lines and broken roads, according to her, is the work of the Irrigation and Flood Control (I&FC) Department, which comes under the Delhi government.
“This area mainly comprises unauthorised colonies, and because of this we cannot initiate a lot of development,” she says.
The councillor adds that the majority of the work is being done by Delhi State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation (DSIIDC) and I&FC department and they don’t discuss any project undertaken in the neighbourhood with the councillors.
“We were elected by the residents for a reason. More than being a councillor, I am a resident of this area. I know how things are and how it can be improved. Around two years ago, these agencies had laid drainage pipes and the road was also tarred. However, because the slope was uneven, it caused massive water logging,” Ms. Shastri told The Hindu .
The area MLA, BJP’s Jagdish Pradhan, however, has a different perspective. He says that in the last two years, the constituency has experienced significant development. In his words, he has made the constituency “livable” for the people.
“This area is among the few in Delhi, which has seen development in the past two years. In AAP-governed areas, people are crying for help. The health situation here is of concern mainly because of the unauthorised dyeing units, which operate out of homes. We had moved a petition in the Assembly to close these,” he says.
‘Most backward place’
Shiv Vihar ward is where most of the illegal colouring units are located. Residents says it is one of the ‘most backward’ places in Delhi.
The streets here smell of sewage and there’s an acute crisis of potable water as the area lacks public water supply. Piles of garbage, on both sides of the road, are usual.
Mr. Pradhan says he is fighting resistance from the AAP-dominated Assembly to approve projects in his constituency. “The Congress had ruined the constituency in their tenure. They were only interested in playing religious politics to keep people divided and stall development. We have just started our work and people have already stated noticing the difference,” he says.
Migrant population
Almost all 10 assembly segments of the northeast Delhi Parliamentary seat – Mustafabad is one of these 10 – have a sizable migrant population from the Poorvanchal areas, almost 45% of the population.
Even in Mustafabad constituency, scores of voters are first-generation or second-generation migrants from Poorvanchal.
So, irrespective of whether a candidate is a Hindu or a Muslim, voters are checking out if the candidate can trace roots to Poorvanchal.
“For years, infrastructure facilities have not been improved in comparison to neighbouring authorised colonies like Sagarpur, Chauhan Pur and Mahalakshmi Enclave. A lot of work needs to be done, including installation of streetlights, clearing of trash, safety of citizens and making roads,” says Anupam Kumar Yadav, a resident of Rama Garden.
