Will end policy paralysis, clean up garbage: New Delhi mayor
Raja Iqbal Singh also announced his intention to scrap the controversial “garbage user charges,” introduced this financial year alongside property tax bill
Listing his priorities for the months ahead, newly elected Delhi mayor Raja Iqbal Singh on Friday said his immediate focus would be on improving sanitation, ensuring desilting to minimise waterlogging, and reviving policy and developmental work that has remained stalled for over two and a half years.
Singh also announced his intention to scrap the controversial “garbage user charges,” introduced this financial year alongside property tax bills.
“These charges were imposed by AAP during their tenure in MCD, in consensus with officials. We will withdraw them soon,” he said, vowing instead to bolster waste collection and enhance sanitation. “People have suffered enough. We will also work to restore greenery in parks that have deteriorated due to a lack of maintenance.”
The 54-year-old BJP leader from Mukherjee Nagar ward returns to the mayor’s office after a gap of three years. He had earlier served as mayor of North Delhi Municipal Corporation in 2021-22, before the unification of the three corporations. Over the past 2.5 years, Singh led the BJP as the Leader of Opposition in the MCD. He now takes charge under markedly different circumstances—amid financial stress, policy paralysis, and absence of key committees—but with the support of a BJP-led state government.
Among his top priorities, Singh said, is to form the standing committee within a month. The committee’s absence has hamstrung MCD operations, stalling projects and policymaking. “AAP deliberately avoided forming the committee to serve its own interests,” Singh said. “There is no stay from the court; we will constitute it within a month.”
The standing committee’s approval is required for any project exceeding ₹5 crore, in addition to layout plans and major policy decisions.
Singh, a BSc graduate from SGTB Khalsa College and LLB from CCS University, has risen swiftly within BJP ranks. A second-term councillor, he won his first election from GTB Nagar on a BJP-Akali Dal ticket in 2017 and served as chairperson of the Civil Lines zone. Though Akali Dal exited the NDA in 2020, Singh stayed with BJP and was named mayor nine months later.
A pressing challenge for the new administration will be tackling Delhi’s poor sanitation. The city’s three massive landfill sites remain largely uncleared, despite long-standing targets. “We are duty-bound to make Delhi garbage-free and clean. Corruption in MCD will also be dealt with firmly,” Singh said.
Over the past 2.5 years, MCD House meetings have often descended into chaos, with over 30 sessions disrupted and few productive discussions. Singh said he intends to run the House with consensus and cooperation: “We will take everyone along.”
To be sure, MCD also faces a severe financial crisis.
In February, during the municipal budget presentation, the commissioner flagged liabilities of ₹14,000 crore, including unpaid contractor bills, staff salaries, retirement benefits, and loan repayments. Singh said the administration would work with the BJP-led Delhi government under Chief Minister Rekha Gupta and the Centre to ensure uninterrupted services.
He also identified pollution control, tackling corruption, timely scholarship disbursements to primary school students, upgrading dispensary infrastructure, and regularising contractual staff as urgent priorities. “We will collaborate even with opposition parties like AAP and Congress to ensure decisions benefit the public,” he said. “Earlier, lack of funds hampered work. That won’t happen now.”
Stay updated with all top Cities including, Bengaluru, Delhi, Mumbai and more across India. Stay informed on the latest happenings in World News along with Delhi Election 2025 and Delhi Election Result 2025 Live, New Delhi Election Result Live, Kalkaji Election Result Live at Hindustan Times.
Stay updated with all top Cities including, Bengaluru, Delhi, Mumbai and more across India. Stay informed on the latest happenings in World News along with Delhi Election 2025 and Delhi Election Result 2025 Live, New Delhi Election Result Live, Kalkaji Election Result Live at Hindustan Times.