*CM Arvind Kejriwal visits Katewara village that had boycotted MCD elections; sits down with locals to find solutions to their problems
*CM’s interaction in Katewara diffuses anger of locals; villagers come out to meet CM in large numbers despite heavy rains
*I am your son, you have a right to be angry and scold me: CM Arvind Kejriwal
*We have got the village's Phirni road built; chaupal, roadworks, sewage line, stadium, cremation ground and other developmental works will be done soon: CM Arvind Kejriwal
*Next time, vote for whoever you want, vote for whoever you think is right, but don’t waste your right by boycotting elections: CM Arvind Kejriwal
NEW DELHI: 20TH MARCH 2023-Chief Minister Shri Arvind Kejriwal on Monday visited Katewara village in Bawana assembly constituency. The village had boycotted the recent MCD election over lack of development in the area. The CM listened to the grievances of the residents and assured them that their demands will be taken care of by the Delhi Government and MCD. MCD Mayor Dr Shelly Oberoi and MLA Shri Durgesh Pathak also visited the village along with the Delhi CM. Notably, the residents of Katewara had alleged neglect by the authorities and therefore not even a single voter from here had voted in the civic body polls to elect a councillor for Nangal Thakran ward. Taking cognisance of the anger and discontentment of the locals, the CM visited their village and took stock of their problems. He interacted with the villagers at length and offered plausible solutions to all their problems. The CM also remarked that the entire village was like his own family to him and thus they have a right to be angry. He said that he considers it to be his duty to solve the problems of the villagers and will resolve all the issues raised very soon.
On Monday, despite heavy rainfall, hundreds of residents of the village gathered to meet and listen to the Delhi Chief Minister who was visiting the village. Upon his arrival, the villagers heartily welcomed the CM amongst them, tying a ceremonial ‘pagdi’ around his head as a mark of respect. Accepting the outpouring of love, CM Shri Arvind Kejriwal said that the village was around 1.5 hours from his residence and soon after he left he was informed that it was raining heavily and therefore the function could be postponed to another day. But he said that he had promised to meet the people here today and therefore despite the heavy rainfall, he made sure to come here and meet everyone in Katewara village.
Shri Arvind Kejriwal said that he was aware that the residents of the village were upset with all political parties and therefore had not voted in the MCD polls that were held in December last year. The CM said that he knows that everyone in the village looks upon him as a younger brother and therefore he had come here today to inquire about the reasons for people’s unhappiness and fix those problems.
After speaking to the residents of the village, he had come to know that a road was to be built for a long period and finally only recently it was built. He also found out that the village does not have a proper cremation ground and there had been a long pending demand of the people to build one, and the CM assured them that he would get this work done.
He also assured them that he will get the chaupal built and also informed the residents that the order has already been passed to ensure that the sewer line is constructed in the village. He also informed the residents that a stadium will be built besides the village school for the children to be able to play in. He also said that several lanes and roads in the village need to be built and said that he has spoken to the concerned persons to provide him a list of all the roads and assured them that funds from the Chief Minister’s Road Development Fund will be used for this purpose.
He also said that as per the demands of the people, a park and community centre will be built in the village. The residents informed him that the water of the pond in the village is very dirty and animals fall unwell after drinking it, so the CM assured them that the pond will be cleaned as well.
The Delhi CM concluded by asking everyone if all of their demands had been taken into consideration and reiterated that as he was their son, the villagers had the right to be angry with him over the lack of developmental work in the village. He assured them that unlike other politicians, he will work on his promises and make sure that Katewara village receives good facilities like other areas in the National Capital.
Later, on the demand of the villagers to bring metro connectivity up to Qutab Garh, CM Shri Arvind Kejriwal said that he will have to study the idea. “I will definitely work on this. But I am not making any promises regarding this right now,” he said. While leaving from the village, the CM asked everyone if there was any other demand left to be heard and said, “you can vote for whomever you want, but now you must go to cast your vote the next time.”
The CM also took to Twitter to share about his visit and wrote, “Went to Katewara village and met the residents of the area. All the villagers are my own family, my elders, my mothers and sisters. They have the right to be angry with me. It is my responsibility to understand their anger and solve their problems. We have got the village's Phirni road built, and will get other works done soon including the construction of chaupal ghar.”
Mayor Dr. Shelly Oberoi also met with the villagers and listened to their problems. During this, the Mayor said that works related to MCD would be done soon in the village and the AAP government of MCD will fulfil every guarantee under the leadership of CM Arvind Kejriwal.
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*Cabinet Minister Gopal Rai tables motion of thanks on LG’s address; says ‘these people can keep troubling us, we will keep working with full dedication’
*The way Kejriwal Government has overcome obstructions to serve the people of Delhi is an achievement in itself: Gopal Rai
*On behalf of the assembly I congratulate Shiksha-Janak Manish Sisodia for leading Delhi Government’s education revolution to new successes: Gopal Rai
*Earlier, parents of children studying in government schools felt ashamed to tell people that their children study in government schools, but today they feel proud of it: Gopal Rai
NEW DELHI 20TH MARCH 2023-Delhi Cabinet Minister Shri Gopal Rai on Monday moved a Motion to thank the Lieutenant Governor for his address to the Assembly. Shri Gopal Rai noted in the motion that in his address to the Assembly on 17th March, the LG pointed out that despite facing certain difficulties, the work done by the Delhi Government has been commendable.
Shri Gopal Rai said that it was common to see most political parties work for the citizens only before an election and go back into snooze mode for the rest of the year. But he said that the politics of Shri Arvind Kejriwal and Shri Manish Sisodia has been unlike that of the other political parties and from the very first day of forming the government, the Educational Revolution in Delhi has only intensified. He added that every other day there is a positive step taken to further enhance the Educational Revolution in Delhi.
He also said that it is unfortunate that the person who is responsible for such incredible work in the field of education in Delhi is not here amongst us because of the conspiracies of the Central Government. He said that this House is very proud of the fact that the government schools of Delhi have now consistently been ranking better than the private schools that charge very hefty fees.
He said that there was a time when every parent was embarrassed to say that their children studied in a government school. But now this has changed and the students and their families proudly tell all their relatives that they study in a government school in Delhi. He lauded the government schools for having a curriculum like Business Blaster, and said that in no other state in the country there was such an initiative.
Listing the government's achievements in the field of healthcare, he said that there are 522 Mohalla Clinics in Delhi and over 16,000 beds have been added by the AAP government. He also said that the government has started several social sector schemes for the citizens and said that the average income in Delhi has increased by 17 percent.
He also lauded the government for its initiatives in the field of providing free electricity and said that when the AAP government was first formed the promise made to the people was "Bijli bill half, paani bill maaf", and said that the state government has done more than what it promised to the citizens.
He also highlighted the initiatives taken by the state government in the field of environment and said that the pollution in Delhi has constantly been decreasing. He also pointed out that the number of days where the AQI was in the 'severe' category was just three last year, and added that the average PM 2.5 and PM 10 in the city has been decreasing since 2018.
Shri Gopal Rai concluded by saying that despite the difficulties caused by the Central Government, the Delhi Government has worked very hard to improve the lives of the residents of Delhi and this process will further continue.