It was amusing to read Delhi Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena’s criticism (‘Nightmare for aam aadmi’, IE, August 29) of governance in the national capital given that his singular achievement over the past two years has been to stall and disrupt many reforms and initiatives of the elected government.
During British rule, provincial governors were agents of the crown. The necessity of continuing with the post was debated extensively in the Constituent Assembly. The Assembly decided to retain the position but changed the governor’s role from the British era. It was also debated if the governor should be appointed by the president or if elections should be conducted for the post. Fearing the latter would create a parallel state leadership, the Constituent Assembly chose appointment by the president. The framers of our Constitution were clear on the governor’s role. B R Ambedkar referred to the governor’s position as “ornamental” and said that “he has no functions which he can discharge by himself.”
When Delhi got an elected government in 1992, the L-G was tasked with directly administering the functions related to land (through the DDA or Delhi Development Authority) and law and order (through the Delhi Police) under the Centre’s guidance. For all other functions, the L-G was to act on the advice of the elected government. This arrangement worked well until 2015 when the AAP government came to office with a historic mandate, which the BJP was unable to digest. Over the past decade, the BJP has weaponised the L-G’s office in Delhi much like it has used the governor’s office in Opposition-ruled states to stall the functioning of the elected governments.
The past two years have seen a complete breakdown in the constitutional role of the L-G’s office in Delhi. In the past, retired bureaucrats, IPS officers and ex-servicemen were appointed as Delhi L-G. A non-ex officer was appointed L-G in May 2022 and it is no secret as to whose “aid and advice” he is taking. Over the past two years, the L-G has worked with a single goal — derail many works of the elected government and upturn the democratic mandate in Delhi. The interference ranges from appointing hostile bureaucrats in key positions to blocking funds for the Delhi Jal Board and Farishtey Scheme.
At the same time, the core responsibilities of the L-G’s office have been neglected. As per 2022 NCRB data, Delhi registered over 1,800 crimes per 1 lakh residents, the highest in the country. Delhi was also ranked as the “most unsafe metro for women in the country” with three rape incidents reported every day. The city registered the highest crimes against children and senior citizens. There are increasing reports of thefts in the capital. Meanwhile, the performance of the Delhi Police continues to deteriorate with charge-sheets filed in only 30 per cent of all cases, among the lowest in the country. The number of PCR vans has not increased in spite of repeated demands from people. In case of the horrific rape on new year’s eve last year, the victim reportedly called the PCR van for an hour but none turned up.
The second core function of the L-G’s office relates to the DDA. The L-G has shed crocodile tears for 40 per cent of Delhi’s population living in unauthorised colonies and slums. He should know that these settlements exist because of the DDA’s failure to create adequate affordable housing in the capital for the past several decades. The DDA has also failed to create adequate commercial space for businesses in Delhi, forcing many to look for options in NCR. Nothing can be a bigger mark of the failure of the DDA than the fact that it has an inventory of more than 40,000 unsold flats, with an estimated value of Rs 18,000 crore. The DDA’s Master Plan 2041 has been delayed by over two years forcing the Supreme Court to note: “An utter mess has been made in the city.”
No incident gives a better picture of the willful disregard for constitutional norms, laws and Supreme Court decisions as the alleged illegal felling of trees in the ridge area earlier this year. The full facts of the matter are now in the public domain. Reportedly, the L-G ordered the felling of the trees to build a road. Never mind that the law requires the permission of a tree officer and the approval of the SC to cut even one tree of Delhi ridge. This action, too, attracted a sharp rebuke by the SC.
Even as the current Delhi L-G’s term has been marked by one disaster after another, and despite his multiple attempts to stall works of the AAP government, we have continued to persevere and improve the everyday lives of people in the city. Delhi offers the best public education in the country and government schools continue to outperform private schools. Delhi’s mohalla clinics continue to provide free treatment, tests and medicines to over 2 crore patients each year. Delhi is the only state to provide free and 24×7 electricity below 200 units to all residents. Delhi provides free water supply to over 70 per cent of its residents and has added over 7,000 km of pipelines in the last nine years. Delhi has added nearly 2,000 electric buses over the past four years, making it the third largest fleet in the world after China and Chile. By increasing its green cover, shifting the industry to clean fuel and shutting down its thermal plants, Delhi has managed to bring down pollution by 25 per cent in the past decade.
As Delhi and the rest of the country strive towards the path of progress, it is time we get rid of the office of L-G and governor, which are nothing but vestiges of the colonial era and have today become agents of the ruling party of the Centre. Until we do so, they will continue to function as agents of disruption and stifle the voice of the people and democracy itself.
The writer is Minister, Vigilance, Services, Health, Water, Industries, Urban development, Irrigation and Flood Control, Government of NCT of Delhi
