Interview by Srirupa Goswami

Twelve years after he was first elected, and now facing anger in his constituency over the horrific condition of its roads, an Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA in Delhi has offered the following explanation in a conversation with : “Come, sit on a protest with me.”

AAP MLA Sanjeev Jha acknowledged the growing anger among residents of North Delhi’s Burari over the poor condition of roads in the constituency, saying he understood why people held him accountable.

In an interview with , Jha said the resentment stemmed partly from the work carried out during his party’s 10-year tenure, when roads, sewer lines, water pipelines and other infrastructure were developed across several colonies.

“People saw us work continuously for 10 years, they now wonder why the work isn’t getting done anymore,” Jha said. “They feel that since the MLA was getting things done earlier, the MLA should do it now as well. So people are upset, and this is genuine resentment.”

Jha attributed the current road crisis to delays in ongoing sewer work and what he described as coordination problems between government agencies following the change in government. He said the sewer work had begun in June-July 2023 and that one stretch from Burari Bypass to Labour Chowk had been completed while his government was in power, after which the roads were rebuilt. However, he alleged that work stalled around the election period and resumed only after February 25.

“A road that I could have built in a month has now dragged on for two years, causing immense distress to people,” he said.

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‘Don’t protest against me; protest against the government’

Jha said he had repeatedly met officials, including executive and chief engineers, the PWD secretary and ministers, to push for the road work. According to him, a dispute over whether the Delhi Jal Board or the PWD still had work pending led to months of delay.

“The entire government wasted 5 months in this kind of back-and-forth correspondence,” he said, adding that PWD had now resumed work that, in his view, could have been completed earlier.

Jha said rebuilding the roads would require around Rs 110-115 crore, far beyond his annual MLA fund of Rs 5 crore. He said a drain tender had now been issued and a Rs 3 crore tender for road strengthening was underway. Officials, he said, had assured him that tenders would be awarded within 20-25 days and the roads constructed within 1.5 to two months.

“If this work isn’t completed in two months, then we shouldn’t sit here; we should stage a protest outside the Chief Minister’s and PWD Minister’s residences, and fight together under any condition,” he said. “Don’t protest against me; protest against the government, and I will join you.”

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‘We are always ready to come on board’

Responding to residents who said the issue had turned into a political blame game, Jha said he was willing to work with the BJP government and claimed he had repeatedly sought the local MP’s intervention.

“I tell them: take all the credit, claim your government built it—we’re ready to give credit, just get the work done,” he said.

Jha also alleged that officials had told him, off the record, that pressure was sometimes applied to delay projects after he publicly announced timelines for their completion. He said he had written to the Chief Secretary, PWD Secretary, ministers and the Chief Minister and had held multiple meetings.

“I hope the government ministers and CM understand the public outrage seen on the roads. Otherwise, we will be left with no option,” he said, adding that a sit-in could be the next step if correspondence and meetings failed.

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Water shortage adds to Burari’s woes

Jha said road conditions were not the only concern, with residents also complaining about contaminated water. He said Burari has around 4.5 lakh registered voters and a population of roughly 10-12 lakh, while its water requirement is around 32 MGD compared with a current supply of only 9-10 MGD.

He said old pipelines, leakages and damage caused during sewer work had contributed to water contamination, while unauthorised construction had also resulted in pipes being punctured.

“A complete overhaul of the pipelines is needed to resolve dirty water issues, along with boosting the total water supply,” Jha said. “The grievances raised are completely valid.”

‘Road work should be completed before Diwali’

Asked whether the condition of the roads could affect his political position, Jha pointed to timelines given at a meeting eight days earlier. He said tenders were expected within 15 days and road work within a month, putting the overall completion timeline at around two to 2.5 months.

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“I am hopeful that the anger of the people will be taken seriously without playing politics,” he said.

Jha said he was prepared to escalate the issue if the work did not progress, including approaching courts, staging protests outside ministers’ residences and raising the matter in the Assembly.

“Protesting against us will not get the 100 crore sanction released. Protesting against the government will sanction the 100 crores,” he said. “The people commuting on Burari’s roads don’t belong to any single political party. They are citizens who elect governments and hold legitimate expectations. Playing with their hopes should not happen.”