Ex-Chief Secretary Calls for End to Appeasement Politics in Delhi

New Delhi, Jul 3 (PTI) — In a bold move, former chief secretary of Delhi, Shailaja Chandra, has called on Chief Minister Rekha Gupta to abandon long-standing "appeasement politics" in favor of comprehensive urban planning. In an open letter published in The Indian Express, Chandra, who has also held the position of secretary in the Union Health Ministry, extended her congratulations to Gupta for taking on what she described as "India’s most challenging urban assignment".

At the age of 81, Chandra clarified that she harbors no political ambitions nor seeks an advisory role, but instead desires a response from the Chief Minister, labeling the current situation a “moment of reckoning”.

In her letter, Chandra pressed on the urgency for Gupta to halt the ongoing decay in the city, warning that the Chief Minister could either make significant strides or continue the ineffective strategies of the past. She emphasized that Delhi needs bold decisions rather than mere administrative adjustments.

Recognizing the potential to reshape Delhi, Chandra suggested that Gupta has the opportunity to break away from historical failures and potentially outshine the city's popular former chief minister, the late Sheila Dikshit, especially with the support of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs Manohar Lal Khattar.

Chandra criticized previous governments for prioritizing vote-bank politics over sound urban planning and referred to Delhi’s handling of its migrant population as a “politics of patronage”, resulting in grave violations of planning and environmental standards, such as offering free utilities to unauthorized settlements and regularizing illegal colonies retroactively.

She highlighted the extent of the issue, stating that seven million people reside in unauthorized colonies and that industrial effluents are contaminating storm-water drains, contributing to the severe pollution of the Yamuna River, all while "appeasement politics" persists.

Chandra attributed the decline of effective urban planning to erratic policy decisions, court verdict reversals, and legislative actions that allowed widespread encroachment on public and agricultural land. She urged for an end to continuous retroactive adjustments.

She called on the Chief Minister to impose strict limits on further regularization of illegal colonies and to publicly announce that no more encroachments would gain legitimacy, advocating for a coordinated enforcement approach with state administrative bodies.

Furthermore, Chandra recommended the development of “migration-responsive” housing close to employment centers, the establishment of temporary shelters for new migrants, and suggested that services be allocated based on necessity rather than political agendas.