Delhi Polls 2025: MLA Parmila Tokas visits Shanti Niketan with her entourage
The Resident Welfare Association (RWA) is the organization of the residents of a distinct territory and is a mere speck among collectivities that exist in a large city, even when it is subdivided into more manageable units. In the case of Delhi, the 1484 square kilometer area is divided into 70 constituencies for the purpose of elections to its lawmaking body.
With the announcement of fresh elections in February of 2025, there was a distinct air of excitement last month in some of these nonentities, as it were, as leaders of competing parties began to contact the harried office bearers of the RWA with the single compelling query: how can we help you make life easier for your members? A cynical response was held in abeyance as it was clarified that all problems, whether they concerned lapses in municipal governance such as festering garbage in the dhalaos and unswept streets or blocked drains, road repair, and insecurity, which concern the Delhi Government, would be addressed. Parmila Tokas, the MLA from RK Puram who has been renominated by the AAP for the same seat, visited Shanti Niketan recently with her entourage, consisting of her energetic, articulate husband, Dheeraj Tokas, and personnel from government departments. She was presented with a wishlist that included repair of broken park walls, payment of dues by MCD for park maintenance, and deep cleaning of drains. She said she had funds from her MLA grant, and in due course our specific needs would be met. Meanwhile, she suggested boom barriers could be installed in all six colony gates and 10 dustbins provided. The offer was accepted with some reluctance; this was not exactly what we had really wanted. Very quickly, two kinds of deliveries were made to the RWA. How we wish at least a few samples of an item that had pressed for too long had been delivered! The MLA was reminded how, according to the TOI report of December 11, 2024, Rs 60 crores had been set aside by the Delhi government under a revised budget estimate for the AAP’s 2018 scheme of installation of CCTVs. SNRA has not given up hope.
