New Delhi, April 19 (IANS) The AAP on Wednesday pledged to make Delhi sparkling, end te house tax and banish corruption if it took control of the city's civic body in Sunday's election.
"It is a very important election. Delhi has been turned into a garbage dump by the BJP which controlled MCD for the last 10 years," Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said, referring to the municipal corporation.
"We will make Delhi clean within a year if we come to power," he said while releasing an eight-page Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) manifesto.
Delhi will vote on Sunday to elect a new South Delhi, an East Delhi and a North Delhi Municipal Corporation. All three were earlier one single body: Municipal Corporation of Delhi.
Kejriwal promised to use the best technology to clean up Delhi.
Citing the manifesto, the AAP leader said more sanitation employees would be recruited and those on contract would get regular jobs.
"To financially secure the future of the girl child of our 'Safai Karamcharis', AAP will ensure a guaranteed fixed deposit for the daughters of sanitation employees," Kejriwal said.
He said the family of every sanitation employee will be provided free-of-cost Family Health Insurance cover.
He reiterated his promise to abolish residential house tax and waive off all such arrears in the capital.
He said Delhi will become free of dengue and chikungunya in three years. The civic body will start desilting drains within a year of its victory.
The AAP manifesto says rules for building plans will be simplified.
People with plot sizes up to 500 square metres won't need to come to the MCD to get their building plan approved.
"They can get their plan approved from a registered architect and submit it to the MCD. The act of submission itself will be considered approval of building plan," Kejriwal said.
Additionally, for plot sizes up to 100 square metres, 10-15 pre-approved building plans will be made available on the website, which can then be used directly without going to the architect or MCD.
Kejriwal said all tenants in Delhi will get the benefit of reduced electricity tariff and free 20,000 litres of water per month.
He attacked the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for failing to provide a clean Delhi, saying it had backstabbed Prime Minister Narendra Modi by not implementing his Swachh Bharat campaign.
"It is the obligatory function of the municipal corporations to take preventive steps to stop the spread of vector-borne diseases in which the BJP completely failed.
"MCD is the most corrupt body in the city. People have to pay bribes to get their work done. We will make the MCD corruption free within one year and make it a profitable body."
Kejriwal said Nursery and KG classes will be started in the municipal-run schools and free medicines will be provided at all health centres of MCD.
He also vowed to solve "dog and monkey menace" in Delhi.
The results of the civic body elections will be known on April 26. The AAP is fighting in all 272 wards. They won five wards last year.
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