JOIN USThe BJP ruled civic agencies seem to have stepped up their efforts to launch welfare schemes soon after Delhi party chief Harsh Vardhan announced plans to showcase the party’s brand of good governance.
The North Delhi Municipal Corporation is launching a cancer screening scheme for urban poor women, in collaboration with AIIMS, and the South Corporation has launched sanitation helplines to attend to complaints related to garbage collection and littering within 12 hours.
The North Corporation also plans to simplify the process of approving building plans of plots of less than 100 sqm, thus reducing the scope of harassment of property owners in the building department.
North Corporation Additional Commissioner (Health and Finance) Mayank Sharma said the ‘Stri Swasthya Suraksha Yojna’ will be launched through nine nodal centres and five major hospitals.
“The matter may be place before the corporation for an expenditure of Rs 50 lakh in the current financial year and Rs 1 crore during 2014-15,” he said.
During a meeting of the civic agency’s standing committee – the highest decision-making body – the members resolved to ask the commissioner to issue a notification on the simplified procedure for approval of building plans.
Committee member Mohan Prasad Bhardwaj moved the resolution that said, “If within seven days of depositing an architect certified building plan and fees, a property owner does not get a formal approval from the civic officials, he will be free to start construction.”
South Corporation mayor Sarita Choudhary released the helpline numbers on which people will be able to give complaints related to sanitation.
The South Zone number is 011-26522700, Central Zone 29812700, West Zone 25422700 and Najafgarh Zone 28011235.
Commissioner Manish Gupta said every complaint related to sanitation will be attended to within 12 hours.
Rajya Sabha MP and former Delhi BJP president Vijay Goel said he has asked Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung to allow the BJP ruled municipal corporations to create a ‘Single Window System’ for approval of building plans.
He said that under the system, property owners could submit building plans verified by architects in compliance with civic by-laws, along with an affidavit stating that all laws would be followed.