Double-engine pressure in the capital

New Indian Express

05-05-2025

With the BJP now in charge at the Centre and in Delhi, some major city development projects might finally get moving. These include fixing Delhi's messy waste management system and rolling out the much-talked-about land pooling policy. Earlier, when the AAP ran Delhi, many of these projects hit roadblocks—primarily because of constant clashes with the Centre. Issues like the slow progress on cleaning up the city's landfills or delays in expanding the Metro were often blamed on the AAP by the BJP.
But now that the BJP is running both the national and Delhi governments — a setup they like to call the 'double-engine' model — there's a growing sense that the time for blame games is over. People expect results, especially from the Centre, which handles many projects through the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.
Recently, Union Minister Manohar Lal sat down with well-known Delhiites, including business leaders, to hear what's bothering residents. Sources say the top concerns were better managing the overflowing landfill sites, making the land pooling policy a reality, and clearing up land acquisition issues—especially in northwest Delhi.
Jharkhand DGP fate hangs in balance
The letter war between the Centre and the Jharkhand government over the appointment of incumbent DGP Anurag Gupta has caught the eyeballs of the country's police establishment. There's also the angle of a pending Supreme Court ruling in a case filed by BJP state unit chief Babulal Marandi in the matter. The Union Ministry of Home Affairs communicated to the Jharkhand Chief Secretary that DGP Gupta could not continue in office beyond April 30, 2025 – his date of superannuation.
The Jharkhand government reportedly responded by saying Gupta was appointed to the post for two years under the 'appointments rules' formulated by the state. It also said that Jharkhand is not alone in doing so, as several other states have done the same. The Supreme Court will now decide Gupta's fate next week when it hears Babulal Marandi's case challenging the appointment.
The MHA communique read: 'Government of Jharkhand is directed to retire Shri Anurag Gupta, IPS, on 30.04.2025 from the post of the DGP (HoPF) Jharkhand, as continuing him in service beyond the age of superannuation violates Rule 16(1) of the All-India Services (Death-cum-Retirement Benefit) Rules, 1958, which mandates retirement at the age of 60 for IPS officers.' It also contended that Gupta's appointment process does not align with existing national rules or the Supreme Court judgment in a case filed by Prakash Singh over Police reforms.