A Wish List From Delhi

As FM presents the Union Budget today, city seeks provisions to control pollution, improve infra, tighten security and modernize healthcare

- Shashank Shekhar And Gulam Jeelani

When Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presents the Union Budget, Delhi will be watching keenly. The Centre is likely to avoid highlighting its achievements or announcing major schemes with regard to the poll-bound city because of the Model Code of Conduct in place.

However, allocations to some of the key sectors will be made like in previous years. And this is where the National Capital is placing its hope.

Experts and residents say greater focus is needed to clean up the toxic air, revive the dying Yamuna, improve & expand infrastructure, tighten policing and modernize healthcare.

Here are the areas that need Sitharaman’s attention — in terms of budgetary allocations — to propel Delhi on the way to becoming a world-class city.

ENVIRONMENT

Rising air pollution levels in Delhi-NCR have been a serious concern for a few years now. A recent global report ranked Delhi as the most polluted capital city in the world.

“Delhi’s bad air is a health emergency. The government should think of a foolproof annual plan and provide allocations accordingly to tackle this,” said Sangeeta Rastogi, a research scholar in South Delhi’s New Friends Colony.

Likewise, hundreds of crores of rupees spent since the mid-1990s to clean up the Yamuna in Delhi have gone down the drain. Saving the river is extremely critical as Delhi gets 70 percent of its drinking water (after a cleaning-up process) from it.

“Generally, the Budget for Yamuna comes either in the ministry’s (Water Resources) allocation or in the Ganga river rejuvenation funds because Yamuna is a tributary of Ganga. I hope we will see more money this time, especially with the government’s focus on water for all,” said water expert Manoj Misra.