In his address on the 74th Republic Day, Delhi Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena said the day has come at the beginning of what he termed a ‘special year’ for the city as it gears up to host the G-20 Summit.
Exhorting the citizens of Delhi to ensure that foreign guests visiting the city during the event saw “the best face of India”, Saxena underlined that the event was an unprecedented opportunity not only for India but also Delhi as its capital. He said joint efforts needed to be made to achieve this objective both by government officials as well as citizens.
“Dear Delhites, this year is very special for us. India is chairing the G-20 and its summit is to be held in the capital Delhi itself. It is the responsibility of all of us to ensure that during this time all guests who arrive see the best face of India and the capital,” he said.
“With this in mind, all units of the government and the people of Delhi have to make joint efforts together. This is an important opportunity for us in line with India's vision of becoming 'Vishwa Guru' and we should move forward to make the best of this opportunity,” he said.
In addition to underlining the achievements of government bodies under this jurisdiction, especially the Municipal Corporation of Delhi, Saxena spoke extensively on the Delhi Police's efforts at keeping the city safe.
The LG's comments come in the wake of incidents such as the Kanjhawala case which saw the victim, 20-year-old Anjali Singh, being dragged for several metres under a car triggering a debate over the status of women's safety and posing larger questions regarding the state of law and order in the city.
“Law and order have a very important role in the smooth functioning of any country, state city or society. Social concerns are also involved in the criminal incidents of the capital. The Delhi Police is using new techniques to deal with crime and criminals,” Saxena sought to emphasise.
This year along with efforts to curb crime, Saxena said, emphasis was also laid on modernisation. Also, the traditional beat-level inputs played a major role in combating crime and also in its prevention.
“In today's time, police have to face various challenges like terrorism, cybercrime, traffic management, and women's safety. To mould ourselves with the changing times and overcome all challenges is our constant endeavour,” he said underlining various Delhi Police initiatives such as community policing schemes including YUVA, Shakti, Police Mitra, Prahari and We Care among others which he said had “been effective.”
“As per the instructions of the Union Home Minister, it has been made mandatory for forensic teams to visit crime spots in all crimes with punishment of more than six years...The deployment of police force in crowded areas has also been increased,” Saxena said.
“The Delhi Police lays special emphasis on the security of the weak and sensitive sections… For the safety of women and senior citizens, and to trace missing children, special campaigns were conducted which have yielded positive results,” he also said.
Along with other states and union territories, Delhi, the L-G said, was playing an important role in the progress of the country, and despite a population that constituted just 1.52% of the country’s total, Delhi's contribution to the National GDP was 4.22% and its per capita income was almost three times the national average.
He also said the minimum wage in Delhi was the highest among all the states and union territories in the country, and at par with central government rates in A-class cities. The Delhi government, he further said, had made extensive efforts in the education sector on the one hand and had taken several steps to improve the health infrastructure on the other, including the provision of essential medicines free of cost to those who needed them the most.
“Under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, in Kalkaji, 3,024 newly constructed EWS flats were distributed by the Prime Minister… The Asita East Project was inaugurated in September 2022 under Yamuna's revival and rejuvenation plan, the foundation stone of 'Bansera' has been laid which is the city's first bamboo theme park… DDA has dedicated 16 parks to unsung heroes who fought for the country’s freedom,” Saxena said.
“Last year, the MCD took several innovative and scientific steps to deal with the garbage… As a result of these efforts, the height of the Ghazipur landfill site is continuously decreasing, dumping of waste at the Okhla landfill site has stopped completely. In addition, at the Bhalswa site, the capacity of solid waste segregation has increased to levels more than ever before,” he also said.
In the last seven months, the MCD, according to the L-G, had disposed of about 42 lakh metric tonnes of legacy waste at an average rate of 6 lakh metric tonnes per month.
Referring to the ethos of Delhi as a city which had traditionally been home to citizens from various castes, religions and backgrounds, the L-G asked citizens to make the capital an example for the rest of the country in terms of communal harmony.
“Delhi is a model of harmonious coexistence of people from different backgrounds, and we have to maintain mutual harmony. Be it Hindu, Muslim, Sikh, Christian or any other religion, we must, together, make Delhi a city which can be an example for the whole of India,” he said.
The L-G further said, “Strengthening of moral values in the society and family prevents crime from flourishing and thus it is the collective responsibility of all of us to maintain mutual harmony, tolerance, harmony and fraternity.”
(With inputs from agencies)