We will give a good CWG: Sheila Dikshit
In 'Devil's Advocate', Karan Thapar talks with the Chief Minister of Delhi, Sheila Dikshit, about the work progress for the Commonwealth Games.
Karan Thapar: Hello and welcome to 'Devil's Advocate'. With just 35 days to go, the residents of Delhi are scared that their city could be reduced to gridlock, chaos and confusion by the Commonwealth Games. Here to discuss that question is the Chief Minister of Delhi, Sheila Dikshit.
Mrs Dikshi the residents of your city are petrified that come the Commonwealth Games, this city could be reduced to chaos and gridlock. Many think the answer is to flee. How can you reassure them that won't happen? Sheila Dikshit: No please don't flee. I think a few people believe that the rest of the city is very excited about it and I can assure that the police and the agencies that look after traffic are very confident that things will work out well. You know, we have closed schools on those days.
Karan Thapar: That's true. But let me quote to you. One of your senior officials on Tuesday, just five days ago, said to the Calcutta newspaper, ‘The Telegraph’. He says: It would be an understatement to describe the situation as alarming. It is calamitous. Are you worried the way your officials think of it.
Sheila Dikshit: I don't know which officials said this. And if he hasn't got the courage to say that who is saying this, then I think he is just imagining things. And I don't know what level officer he was - whether he is connected with that? That's not going to happen. Please believe me.
Karan Thapar: Alright. Let's come to the major areas of concern one-by-one. To begin with, let's talk about the roads. Many of them have the debris or the 'malwa' all over and are waterlogged. 'The Business Standard' has publicly said that the centre of Delhi - the Connaught Place - looks like a chaotic archeological dig hazardous to everyone. How did the situation get to this state.
Sheila Dikshit: No, I think most of the agencies and the multiplicity of the agencies were very ambitious, over ambitious. And on top of that, we had rains that had never happen before like this in Delhi. So that slowed down work. But the NDMC which is looking after the Connaught Place -and I am there yesterday --is almost changing by the minute, by the hour. They are working very hard, 24 hours and I think it will be perfectly alright. --
Karan Thapar: But even a cycling event that was happening there on Sunday has to happen elsewhere because Connaught Place cannot take the cycling event.
Sheila Dikshit: No that's alright, you have got an alternative. If you feel you are not confident --I don't think this is something that you need to worry about. You got an alternative so you have done it in the event that the Connaught Place is not ready.
Karan Thapar: Alright. Beyond Connaught Place, what worries people is that all over Delhi, roads seem to be caving in. According to the Hindustan Times, 20 have caved in in the last two months including the new roads built outside Siri Fort and the police have publicly said that altogether, 279 roads are vulnerable. Let me quote to you what the Hindustan Times has said. It says: all roads in the capital are in the verge of collapse.
Sheila Dikshit: No! How can they say that. Everybody is going around. Business is as usual in Delhi and --
Sheila Dikshit: No we do read about them. One car or one truck doesn't mean that the whole of Delhi has collapsed. Now the sun has come out since yesterday. They are working overtime. All the roads will be laid down properly whether they belong to PWD, CPWD, MCD or NDMC, all will be tucked. And I can assure you that this is not going to happen. We have had unusual rains. I wish they were the --now every newspaper or everybody just keeps on talking about one truck which has sunk in. Metro is also doing its work so please remember that we are working under circumstances where several things are being done.
Sheila Dikshit: --we had a deadline but buildings are going on, work is going on and we have cleared --I would like to tell you, this is for your viewers to know that we have cleared over one hundred thousand metric tonnes of ‘malwa’ from all over Delhi.
Karan Thapar: But you are saying that to me that by the 10th of September, Delhi's roads will be clear of ‘malwa’ and debris.
Karan Thapar: And in the meantime, the other thing that worries people is that essential maintenance simple doesn't seem to be happening. For instance, critical junctions in Delhi that have traffic lights that have not worked for over a month; Andheria Mor is one. There you have a permanent 24 hour traffic jam. Why aren't traffic lights functioning particularly when there is ‘malwa’ and debris and water-logging all over?
Sheila Dikshit: Have you noticed that the police is changing the traffic lights; they are bringing in the blue ones, the modern ones. They will take a little time - 6 or 7 days. They have promised me --
Sheila Dikshit: No they were hampered because of the heavy rains. They could not dig in. The wiring was --they could not get--
Sheila Dikshit: Yes. No the roads are clear. There are little bits of ‘malwa’. Those we have picked up.
Karan Thapar: A second major concern are the storm rains. Every time it rains, this city looks like a swimming pool. The MCD blamed the PWD, the PWD blamed construction agencies but no one seems to clear or clean the drains.
Sheila Dikshit: That is true. There is a terrible problem of multiplicity of authorities. But now we have got the ToM, the Cabinet Secretary with his officers, a team of 8 or 10 officers looking after the venues. We have a team of officers who are not sitting in offices but are going out. Everything will be done. You don't find big ‘malwa’ now. You find little little ‘malwa’.
Sheila Dikshit: No road are - it's raining now. It will not rain in October. I hope not unless we have a freak weather.
Sheila Dikshit: In places. It's not all over Delhi. There are some areas which are -in fact 99 per cent --
Karan Thapar: --but the horrific pictures that you see on television and on the front pages of newspapers, that's going to continue.
Sheila Dikshit: This is what I would like to request you through you, everybody else, look at the positive side of it. There are miles and miles and miles, many more miles of roads that are functioning well and very little - one car or two trucks - getting stuck.
Karan Thapar: Many people think that you are minimizing the situation. People who live in Delhi, who drive in Delhi have found themselves stuck in traffic for hours.
Sheila Dikshit: I have been stuck in traffic for two or three hours. It happens cause there are people --
Karan Thapar: --Can I pick up on that. Many people in that conversation say when was the last time the Chief Minister of Delhi, Sheila Dikshit was stuck in traffic. You have escort cars --
Sheila Dikshit: No, even the escort cars cannot fly over traffic jams. And we are particular that we have to wait.
Sheila Dikshit: Yes, two and a half hours. I won't say one hour. Two and a half hours once -- one hour the next time. And this was done at a time when I was going around the city trying to see what the defects are. We are doing. And I can only promise you please have faith. This is the country's pride and everybody is behind --
Karan Thapar: --I can accept that this is the country's pride but you are making a plea for faith. Let me put to you one problem that will occur to the audience as they hear you. From September 20, specialCommonwealth Games lanes will start functioning on 300 kilometers of Delhi's roads. Have you got a plan to ensure that traffic doesn't get gridlocked?
Karan Thapar: But sometimes it is a one lane or a two lane road. You are literally reducing the traffic flow by 50 per cent.
Sheila Dikshit: Have you a suggestions for that? I would love to have it. I would love to have people tell me.
Karan Thapar: In other words, there is no alternative to traffic jams that will start from September 20th?
Sheila Dikshit: They won't get worse. All that people will have to do is adjust the going out. Many times you see empty cars on the road; just the driver driving from one place to another and one person sitting in it. I think a little bit of adjustment --I appeal to the people that this is something that we will have to adjust ourselves to. It's not going to be there forever. It's something --the games are a pride of India.
Karan Thapar: So, you are saying beyond faith, you are also asking people adjust. a) don’t go out b) only go when necessary c) make sure you don't send empty cars.
Sheila Dikshit: No I am not saying that at all. What I am saying is that if I have to go out shopping or go out somewhere, I can postpone it a little later. The player will go at certain times, the times will be told, the lanes are all there, the police will be guiding--
Sheila Dikshit: I don't think there will be a schedule. I don't know that because that's the police commissioner's job. I don't know what they are going to do. But the priorities will be the players. They are our guests. They have come for the games so the priority --
Sheila Dikshit: Of course they are. We would like them to come and see the games but there are security concerns, there are concerns --you know about eight thousand - nine thousand people are coming only for the Commonwealth Games.
Sheila Dikshit: Please don't get worried. Five to ten, it's beautiful weather at that time. Everything will be alright.
Karan Thapar: Let me then pick up on something you said right at the beginning of the interview. You sought of suggested that perhaps one of the reasons people have problems today is that the government had been overambitious. Are you in a sense saying that perhaps, on hindsight, you have made a mistake in not limiting yourself to the essential work of the Commonwealth Games but also taking up the beautificaiton of Lutyens Delhi. And as a result, you may be handling too much at one go.
Sheila Dikshit: No. We have got enough this thing. As I said, maybe. But we will complete it. Everybody --
Sheila Dikshit: No, I don't think so. We have preponed a lot of things which would have taken another 20 years to come or 10 years to come.
Karan Thapar: Can I quote Raj Kumar Chavan your PWD Minister. He says that 77 projects were taken up simultaneously. Was that not too many for Delhi to manage?
Sheila Dikshit: No, unfortunately you don't go to other parts of Delhi. You go and see what is happening in other parts of Delhi. You go and look at the Karnal road. You go and look at the beautiful ITO chungi. The beautiful other -
Karan Thapar: --so when it's over, Delhi will smile and say this is a beautiful city. That's your hope?
Karan Thapar: Let's come to other games related challenges that you have faced. First of all, Power. Now it is clear that the Damodar Valley Corporation, the Bawana and Jhajhar plants have let you down. Will you have enought power for the Commonwealth Games or will Delhi face widespread and prolonged powercuts?
Sheila Dikshit: No it won't. Delhi is prepared with adequate and enough power. There will be no problems as far as power is concerned. And October, fortunately, is a month when the usage of power come down quite considerably.
Karan Thapar: Except that for the fact that you were hoping for over 2000 MW of power from these sources. Now that it is denied to you, have you been able to find replacements?
Sheila Dikshit: Yes of course we have. You know, there is trading in power so we will buy power whatever cost--
Sheila Dikshit: Yes absolutely done. And I will tell you with other things, the Ministry of Power, the Government of India is very supportive; we will get power. We will not let you down where power is concerned and alternatives have also been set up.
Karan Thapar: I think it's so important that as Chief Minister of Delhi, you are assuring the residents of Delhi as well as the country because country will be watching what happens that there will be no power cuts, no power shortages in Delhi in October.
Sheila Dikshit: No, unless it happens to be local power in a particular colony by local fault. That I cannot guarantee. But there will be adequate, sufficient supply of power.
Karan Thapar: When you talk of local faults, are you talking about localised power-cuts, localised power-shedding? Is that what it is about?
Sheila Dikshit: No, no shedding. Shedding is very different from --if there is a problem. There will be no shedding at all, no requirement for any shedding.
Karan Thapar: No shedding at all in Delhi? People will be thrilled to hear that. But do you really believe you can live up to that?
Karan Thapar: Alright. Let's then come to a second concern. As you repeatedly said during this interview that Delhi has experienced unprecedented excessive rainfall and, worst of all, the meteorological department expects it to continue, perhaps even intensify, in September. Are you worried that rain is going to further delay the road, further delay the traffic, further waterlog the city despite all your deadlines of September 10 and September 12?
Sheila Dikshit: Look, I'll tell you one thing. We are working 24 hours, round the clock. I myself go to see that the workers are there. So the moment the rain stops, they start the work.
Sheila Dikshit: Well if it doesn't, I can only pray and request you to pray, the city to pray, the whole country to play.
Karan Thapar: The other problem, perhaps in many senses a more serious problem connected with the rains is the fear of dengue and swine flu. Already this year, as of today, you have 606 cases compared to just a handful last year.
Karan Thapar: Are you prepared for action to ensure that thousands coming: the athletes, officials and tourists you have mentioned - nine thousand and maybe more - aren't going to fall ill in Delhi?
Karan Thapar: The forecast for September is a 110 per cent of the long term average. That suggests you got a problem.
Sheila Dikshit: But that is a forecast. Please remember that it is a forecast. I can't forecast anything. If something happens which is beyond your control, beyond my control, beyond the police's control, beyond everybody's control, we have to --but we are prepared as best as we can. Please remember that the Government of India, the Government of Delhi, the Lt. Governor, the DDA we are all at it, the health department is at it. Now if you take a population of 1 crore people having 600 cases are not a very large number.
Karan Thapar: The reason why I asked about dengue and the fact that it could spread and the fact that it could hit your tourists and your athletes is because the Hindu says that you don't have enough doctors in case you have a real spread. They say you face an acute shortage.
Sheila Dikshit: There are enough doctors. We have also tied up. If we need doctors from other places like Noida or anywhere else --there are enough doctors.
Sheila Dikshit: Of course there will be enough doctors, there will be enough --hospitals are there. Everything is being prepared. Now if there is an epidemic or something, we will be prepared for that also. Please remember we are a responsible and a responsive government.
Karan Thapar: On that thought, let me then come to my last issue - the security. As you know, theCommonwealth Games are a tempting target for not just the terrorists like the LeT but possibly, according to the papers, even the Naxals. How safe can Delhi be?
Sheila Dikshit: Please remember --alright there is a threat. If I started living by threat, I won't be able to do anything. But please remember security will cause some inconvenience to the people. They will not be dropped at the gate of the stadia they want to. They will have to walk a little bit. Now these are --how do you match contradictory situations. You have spoken to me about one truck or one car getting stuck. And always speaks to me about traffic jams in Delhi. Of course there are. There always have been.
Karan Thapar: But will Delhi be safe. Have you done enough to ensure that it is not a target of terror.
Sheila Dikshit: Of course. The police, the Home Ministry and everybody have taken adequate measures. I am not involved in it because the police don’t come under --
Karan Thapar: Let me put last thoughts to you. ‘The Mail Today’ said that when the Commonwealth Games happen, over 6000 of the policemen in streets of Delhi will be half trained at best. They say they have been only put through crash courses.
Sheila Dikshit: Yes. And they are getting the CRPF also. I am telling you this generally. They are getting a lot of them. I don't think any chances will be taken.
Sheila Dikshit: Of course, Delhi will be safe. Delhi will have power, Delhi will safe, there would be a few traffic jams like there always are. But you keep talking of traffic jams everyday.
Karan Thapar: My last question. You have just 35 days, I keep reminding you, are you confident or would you hope there was a postponement.
Sheila Dikshit: No. I would not hope for a postponement. We are confident that we will give you good games.
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