Delhi remains foggy and polluted, making its citizens victims of severe allergies and debilitating respiratory illnesses. It is a real shame that the capital of India wallows in this kind of poison in this day and age. Sound governance, strict adherence to international norms, sensible use of technology, and so on, could have spared those who live here the disaster that has been forced upon them. Travelling in and out of Delhi in the last month brought home the stark and scary reality of how the quality of air and space of this city has deteriorated. If London could have rebooted itself in the late 1940s and cleansed itself of the fog, smog and pollution, surely New Delhi can be restored as well. Why is there no urgent plan in place? Why is this site of exceptional, layered civilizations being abused?
The real problem is that in a desperate race to 'develop' the city, regardless of the stipulated laws, the fundamentals of civic infrastructure have been ignored. This has resulted in the breakdown of essential public services. It sounds ludicrous when leaders proclaim that Delhi will soon receive uninterrupted supply of electricity. It is embarrassing to live in a capital city that continues to suffer relentless powercuts. Mangled overhead wires, broken junction boxes, all of which belong to a distant past, have further inconvenienced the city. Potholed roads, filthy pavements, smelly urinals, ugly overhead water tanks as well as a corrupt, lethargic and inept municipality have come together to create 'hell'. In this hopeless environment, Delhi has been promised 'salvation' by both the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Aam Aadmi Party.
Out of sight
For some strange and inexplicable reason, the Congress seems to have died a natural death. The leadership is silent, the party invisible. Sheila Dikshit, in an earlier avatar, had restored dignity to Delhi, upgraded the city and cleansed its air. Over the last few years, the dilution of that initial upgradation had begun to set in. Last year had been an utter disaster. One shudders to imagine what the immediate and short-term future holds for this city. Since the battle is between an inexperienced, insecure and failed AAP versus the BJP, most likely the citizens will vote for the latter to save their city from a free-fall. Either way, where is the time-bound blueprint to change this fabled and soon-to-be 'smart' city?
One is befuddled by the state of the Congress. Having been reduced to a ridiculous figure of 44 seats in the last general election, one would have imagined that in the months following the wipeout, the Congress leadership would regroup, get rid of the dead wood, and start anew, taking on the exciting challenge of rebuilding the party for the next generation. Instead, it has descended into a deep and deafening silence. If Rahul Gandhi, as the vice-president, is not interested in the political role assigned to him, he should resign from his post and allow an elected partyman to replace him so as to help the Congress reinvent itself. To hamper this crucial overhaul by neither pulling the strands together and leading from the front, nor letting go of the top job, is tantamount to chipping away at the democratic framework of the nation's chief Opposition party.
The inability of Congress leaders to regroup themselves shows them up as being casual about their role. This would make a reinvention virtually impossible. Many speak of the death of the Congress, while others believe that no political entity 'dies'.
But in this information age, things could be different from how the cookie has crumbled in the past. Therefore, the inaction and invisibility of the Congress and its leadership appear incongruent to the modern reality.
