JOIN USMCD polls: Waterlogging, poor roads in mind as voters in Delhi's rural areas turn up in large numbers
Grappling with issues such as waterlogging, poor roads and lack of education facilities, people in the rural areas of Delhi's Rohini and Badli turned up in large numbers on Sunday to vote in the Delhi municipal elections.
Waiting in a long queue outside a polling booth in Rohini sector 18, 86-year-old Shanti Devi told PTI that better drainage facilities and roads are needed in her locality.
"The main point is corruption should be rooted from the MCD. We need better facilities here. There are problems pertaining to potable water, broken roads and clogged drains. MCD officials often come and dig up the roads around without even thinking about the issues faced by residents because of this," she alleged.
Somesh Puri, who also lives in the same area, said residents have to face knee-deep water on the roads every monsoon. He also claimed that water supplied to the households is often unfit for consumption.
"Residents cannot step out of their houses during the monsoon because of water-logged roads. The drains remain clogged throughout the year and the sewage water spills onto the roads during the rainy season. The water that we get in our household is contaminated and unfit for consumption," the 60-year-old said.
Slum dwellers in Delhi are a major segment of voters and can decide the fate of candidates in many wards. While the BJP has promised to provide them proper houses with help from the Centre if voted to power again, the AAP has been able to create a strong support base in these areas, as evidenced by its back-to-back victories in the assembly polls.
Shahbad Daulatpur village resident Neelu Kumari Bharti, 35, said drains overflow and houses get inundated during the monsoons.
"We are forced to move to some relative's place for two-three days every monsoon because of water-logging at our houses. Drains remain clogged and overflow every time it rains. We approached the civic authorities with complaints multiple times but all in vain. They neglect the slum areas," she told PTI.
Another resident of Shahbad Daulatpur village, Lata said cleanliness is a major issue in the slum areas there. There is garbage mismanagement in the slum clusters and lack of proper schools.
"Even the roads are broken. We complained multiple times about these issues to the civic authorities but no one takes our complaints seriously. Our children should also get better education facilities in the schools here," she added.