Chief minister Sheila Dikshit on Sunday met Congress president Sonia Gandhi and discussed issues relating to preparation for Assembly elections in the national capital. Assembly elections in Delhi are scheduled to be held in November.
According to party insiders, Ms Dikshit briefed Mrs Gandhi about a number of initiatives taken by her government to provide relief to those living in more than 1,500 unauthorised colonies in the city.
She also informed the Congress president about the measures announced by her government on Saturday to provide relief to residents of villagers by relaxing norms governing use of agricultural land.
Ms Dikshit has also informed Mrs Gandhi about the implementation of various welfare schemes like Annashri yojana and kerosene-free Delhi. Sources said that Ms Dikshit apprised Mrs Gandhi of the preparations for the Assembly polls.
Ms Dikshit’s meeting with Mrs Gandhi came about just before the AICC announced a major organisational reshuffle in which Shakeel Ahmed has been made AICC in-charge of Delhi. Another prominent Congress leader from Delhi, Mr Ajay Maken has been made general secretary of AICC.
In a meeting last week, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi had asked both Ms Dikshit and Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee president J.P. Aggarwal to work in close coordination with each other to ensure Congresses victory in the Assembly polls.
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Lovely: Support highrises, need money for infra
New Delhi, June 16: Supporting Union urban development minister Kamal Nath’s push for vertical growth in the city, the Delhi government has said the Centre will have to give adequate funds to it for enhancing existing infrastructure if such a policy is finalised.
Delhi urban development minister Arvinder Singh Lovely said basic services like drainage, water supply and power distribution network will have to be strengthened if vertical expansion is allowed.
“We absolutely have no problem with vertical expansion of Delhi. But when approval is given to high-rises, then we will have to strengthen existing infrastructure like sewage network, water distribution system and power transmission. The Centre will have to provide funds for enhancing the infrastructure,” Mr Lovely said.
Vertical growth will also address the problem of housing shortage, he said and insisted that sincere efforts must be made to ensure optimum use of land resource. — PTI