Citizen's charter among Congress promises for MCD polls

New Delhi, April 7 (IANS) The Congress promised to extend the citizen's charter "for bringing time-bound results and accountability in the corporation" as its top-most promise in the party's manifesto released Saturday for the upcoming Delhi civic polls.

The party released three identical manifestos for the trifurcated Municipal Corporation of Delhi for the April 15 polls.

Congress, which has been targeted by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for recent scams involving the central and Delhi governments, has also promised better provision in MCD schools, special scholarships for minorities and Scheduled Castes, new hospitals, better streets, and even spectacles to children and walking sticks for senior citizens.

The manifesto also contains a 'chargesheet' stuck to its last page, accusing the BJP, which heads the existing corporation, of a "catastrophic rule".

It charged the BJP of spreading widespread corruption and maladministration in the MCD and also for a recent building collapse, the 'fictitious employees' in MCD, and failure to redevelop old areas of the national capital.

Speaking after release of the manifestos, Dikshit attacked the BJP for being "lax in its administration and corrupt".

"We (Delhi government) are trying to make Delhi a city of international standard, but if there are garbage dumps and broken roads, how will the city become world class," Dikshit said.

She also criticized BJP's attempt of pulling "national level issues" in the poll campaign. BJP, in its campaigns, has been accusing the Congress of "adopting corrupt practices" in Delhi and the central government.

"There is so much corruption in the MCD, schools, hospitals, roads, buildings all are in bad shape," the chief minister said.

Dikshit, Women and Child Welfare minister Krishna Tirath, Sports Minister Ajay Maken, Congress General Secretary Janardan Dwivedi, senior party leaders Motilal Vora, Jaiprakash Agarwal and Delhi ministers Harun Yusuf, Kiran Walia and several other key leaders were present when the three manifestos were released.

The MCD has been split into east, north and south Delhi.

MCD polls are on April 15. This will be the first election to the trifurcated Municipal Corporation of Delhi. While the corporations of north and south Delhi will each have 104 wards, there will be 64 wards in east Delhi. Fifty percent of the seats have been reserved for women.

Close to one crore voters will be eligible to cast their ballot on election day.