Malviya Nagar constituency: Where infra has failed to keep pace with the times

NEW DELHI: Neighbouring Mughal-era structures such as the tomb of Sheikh Kabiruddin Auliya in Malviya Nagar, more popularly known as Lal Gumbad, and that of Sufi saint Sheikh Yusuf Qattal in Khirki Extension are the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, and swanky commercial centres.
Malviya Nagar assembly constituency is indeed a true amalgam of two timelines: one the conserved past, the other moving with the times.
And yet whether it is in the upmarket areas or the old world localities, people in the constituency said despite quite a degree of progress, the problems of water supply, overflowing sewage, encroachment of public spaces, crammed roads and crime that compromises the safety of people, especially senior citizens, persist.
Chandan Kumar Yadav, 36, aresident of Arjun Nagar, was hard put to point out a lack of civic amenities in the area. “The schools, hospitals and roads are all fine. We also get the benefits of free power and water to the extent it was promised by the incumbent MLA, Somnath Bharti, and his Aam Aadmi Party — 20,000 litres of water and 200 units of power,” said Yadav, who runs a teashop in the Hauz Khas market. “However, there is a need to solve the problem of parking.”

Neelam Verma, 33, of Hauz Rani pointed out the heavy influx of students and young professionals in the locality due to affordability and proximity to the metro station and markets had made the area overcrowded. “More people are living in the area than five or 10 years ago. But the infrastructure has not kept pace. This is creating several issues for us,” Verma contended.
The assembly constituency, named after Banaras Hindu University founder and freedom fighter Madan Mohan Malviya, has three municipal wards: Malviya Nagar, Hauz Khas, and Green Park. The constituents comprise people employed in the service sector, business families and migrants from Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Haryana, among others. Certain segments of the constituency, such as Hauz Rani, Khirki, Savitri Nagar, Arjun Nagar, and Begumpur aren’t as well developed as the other upscale areas.
“There has been nothing revolutionary like AAP promised and a number of civic aberrations haven’t been resolved,” claimed Ashok Prabhakar of H-block, Malviya Na- gar. Like him, voters in the upmarket areas of the constituency, such as Malviya Nagar, Safdarjung Enclave, and Hauz Khas, appeared not to approve of the benefit schemes offered by AAP. As RN Garg, 63, an electronics businessman, said, “The focus has been on free power and water, not on basics such as water supply, garbage disposal, parks, flyovers, etc.”
Bharti, who won the seat in three elections in a row since 2013, himself claimed, “We have created the requisite infrastructure for betterment of water supply, garbage disposal and everything essential for decent life. But BJP has interfered and created roadblocks. MCD was under BJP for 35 years. We have only now got MCD and have been working since to better things. As for water supply, BJP-governed states like UP and Haryana haven’t honoured the agreement on river water sharing."
He added that a lot of work had been done in Malviya Na- gar constituency on roads, sewage lines, water supply lines and other civic needs.
Satish Upadhyay, Bharti’s opponent from BJP, hopes to win support with a promise of “transformative initiatives” At his Green Park election office, Upadhyay assured of clean drinking water through the Har Ghar Jal scheme, expertdriven solutions for open drains and sewerage, and the implementation of rainwater harvesting to tackle water woes.
He said he was committed to improving waste management while making all roads pothole free and traffic manageable in currently congested areas. He also announced plans for CCTVs, women-friendly public spaces and revival of parks and sports complexes. Besides, he has proposed underground wiring to replace overhead electrical cables, multilevel parking and smart street furniture in markets. “Malviya Nagar will see holistic growth under a BJP government,” Upadhyay promised.