Kejriwal To Focus On Traffic Issues: Other CMs Should Follow Suit

New Delhi: Chief Minister of Delhi Arvind Kejriwal announced on Friday that the AamAadmi Party (AAP) government would focus on resolving traffic issues over the next five years, if it comes to power again. Kejriwal said that traffic decongestion would be a focus area for his government if it is re-elected in the elections to the state assembly to be held in February 2020.

The Delhi chief Minister said that his government had hired consultants to identify bottlenecks in the capital region and to come up with a plan which would be put into action if AAP is returned to power. Cleaning up the city, by no means a simple task, would be another prime area of focus, he added.

Kejriwal's move is worthy of emulation by chief ministers across India. Be it Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Kolkata or many of the other cities and towns across the country, traffic congestion is a common nightmare. Cities gasp for clean air, more people join the growing ranks of those with respiratory issues and precious man-hours are lost at the end of it all.

Politicians are busy with everything under the sun, protesting and debating on all issues, day after day. Sadly, no political party, in or out of power, talks of core issues in our towns and cities, such as traffic decongestion and addressing pollution, among others. Other chief ministers should take a cue from Kejriwal in this respect and focus on these areas with the urgency they merit. Traffic congestion and pollution are core areas no chief minister can afford to neglect considering all major towns, two-tier cities and big metropolises are plagued by them.