Women voters residing in Jhuggi Jhopdi clusters of the national capital are complaining about poor infrastructure, disrupted water supply, surging crime rate ahead of the voting for the Lok Sabha elections slated to take place in Delhi on May 25.
Speaking to Patriot, Nidhi Aggarwal, a resident of Nehru Camp, said that the authorities are least concerned about the situation of the slums.
“No proper water supply, no sanitation work is being done in the JJ clusters. Political parties think that slums are there only for securing votes and they consider these areas as vote bank. We have to struggle for drinking water in this scorching heat. We have to wait in long queues to get water from the tankers,” Nidhi complained.
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Jyoti Sharma, a resident of Shanshi Camp Mathura Road Badarpur, said that the there are no facilities provided by any government in this area of the national capital.
“Infrastructure is a major issue in our locality. Roads and streets have so many potholes that commuting is really difficult here,” she said.
“Apart from this, traffic jams are a part of daily struggle. Roads are jampacked, making it difficult for commuters to reach their desired location on time. Our demands in the upcoming general elections are for improving the infrastructure,” said Jyoti.
Another resident of Shiv Camp Lal Kuan Badarpur Chungi, Shanti Devi (40) claimed that cases of theft and robbery have surged in the locality complaining that aaye din chori hoti rehti hai (Everyday there is theft).
“Law and order situation in the area is getting worse with each passing day,” she said.
Talking about the facilities, Shanti said, “The Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government has helped people of the locality through free electricity, water services in each household.”
Rekha Rajput, 36, said that the government had not done enough to protect the interest of those who used to stay along the Chilla Road stretch.
“They bulldozed our homes and then whenever elections are around the corner, they come to our area to ask for votes. At this point in time, I am not saying this just as a woman but also as a mother who has a family to look after. It is difficult to bring up children when we do not have a roof to take shelter under,” she said.
Rekha, a homemaker, asserted that their aim is to now dislodge the government.
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“They made a lot of promises and said once again that we will get a roof over our heads. However, as of now, nothing like that has happened yet,” she said.
Rajwala, a resident of East Delhi, complained that her locality has started overflowing with sewage for the past couple of years.
“It urgently needs fixing. None of the sewage lines in our area are working efficiently and that has made even walking a difficult task. However, this is not just a problem in our locality but also across East Delhi. Almost every sub-district here has some garbage lying here and there, or some road has an overflowing drain because of clogged pipe. The problems are numerous here,” she said.
However, the problems do not end with sanitation and a lack of shelter. There is also lack of surveillance which leads to increased instances of harassment and eve-teasing in these areas.
Srishti Garg, a college student, highlighted that heightening women’s security should be the highlight of any MP candidate coming to power.
“The candidates speak a lot about women empowerment but I do not see any of this coming about on the ground. Walking home from the metro is a challenge as the road, which is empty by evening, does not have enough streetlights. Moreover, snatching is a major problem where I stay. It is not just women but literally anybody can have their belongings snatched,” said Srishti.
She added that she has not seen any CCTV cameras in the area.
“My vote will be for anybody who can ensure that not just women but everybody is safe when they use these roads. Not just empty promises but actual work on the ground and a proper blueprint of it,” she said.
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It was also highlighted by another resident of Trilokpuri, Soniya, that the supply of clean water will also be a major point of contention in deciding the direction of the vote.
“The candidates will have to tell us what they want to do to fix the water situation here. We have not received a consistent supply of clean water for the past four years and we have had enough,” she said.
Since the previous Lok Sabha elections, Delhi has witnessed a significant surge in the number of women voters, by 3.3 per cent. According to the Election Commission, the gender ratio stands at 851 compared to 815 in 2019.
Indian democracy is all set to witness greater participation of women during the elections as notified by the EC. Accordingly, 12 states have noted a significant rise in women voters recording a gender ratio of over 1000, which denotes more women voters than male.
Key Issues
Drinking Water Scarcity: Taps frequently run dry, causing long queues for water from tankers.
Infrastructure: Roads and streets are plagued with potholes, and long traffic jams disrupt the daily lives of Delhiites.
Law and Order: Rising cases of theft, eve teasing, and robbery in JJ clusters.
Sanitation: Insufficient sanitation facilities in JJ clusters.
