For a majority of residents, the 2023-24 Delhi budget’s focus on improving infrastructure is a much-needed move.
In his budget speech on Wednesday, Delhi Finance Minister Kailash Gahlot laid out a nine-point action plan to make the city “clean, beautiful and modern”. This includes upgrading and beautifying roads, building double-decker flyovers as well as clearing garbage mounds.
However, there are many sceptical Delhiites, some of whom believe that existing problems need to be addressed first.
Lack of walking spaces
Iqbal Ali, 32, said even a short walk in his neighbourhood in Kashmere Gate is exhausting. “Residents in most Old Delhi neighbourhoods face problems while walking due to lack of pavements and well-demarcated lanes.”
Authorities should focus on developing and maintaining roads and pavements in smaller, congested parts of Old Delhi, not just the “tourist spots”, he added.
As per the 2011 Census, 90% of the city is made up of urban clusters. This is an indication of Delhi’s rapid shift from a rural majority to an urban majority city.
However, in spite of the expansion and development, not all parts of the city are equally developed, said urban policy professional Nishant Ranjan.
‘Equitable development’
“The poor quality of infrastructure, like roads, sewage system, street lights, drinking water etc., is a common sight in localities and colonies inhabited by poor migrants, marginalised and deprived citizens,” he added.
While the focus on investing in infrastructure is good, he said “equitable development” of infrastructure would be commendable.
Numerous schemes and projects have been announced in the budget, but Anshika Raj, 45, has her doubts. A middle school teacher, she said, “The government had promised to provide one lakh jobs annually [through the Rozgar Bazaar 2.0 portal last year], but even that hasn’t materialised yet.”
Promising aspects
The introduction of ‘Mohalla Buses’ to meet the growing demand for last-mile connectivity is an “extremely promising” aspect of the budget, according to Rahul Goel. However, the IIT-Delhi professor said the operationalisation of this scheme will be key. “I’m hopeful that some areas, which lack metro connectivity, get last-mile connectivity. That will make a huge difference.”
Others like communications professional Sayantan Banerjee, 25, are optimistic that the budget will address civic problems. “The right intention and coordination between government bodies will solve these issues,” he said.
