New Delhi, Sep 4 (PTI) Delhi Mayor Shelly Oberoi on Monday said the AAP-led MCD is working vigorously to clean the city ahead of the G20 Summit and claimed that the poor image that people had of the city's municipal corporation during the BJP's tenure will change after the mega event.

In an interview with PTI, she asserted that the cleanliness and beautification work being undertaken by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) before the summit "was not just for the G20" and the momentum will continue.

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The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ruled the corporation for 15 years and "they gave landfill sites" to Delhi. But with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) now in power, the corporation "worked vigorously" under Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's leadership to clean the city and make it more beautiful, the mayor said.

"If the BJP had worked efficiently, the people of Delhi would not have thrown them out of the MCD. And, now they have trust in the AAP and Arvind Kejriwal. Delhi has shown lot of love to good governance model of the Delhi government. So, they have given us a chance in the MCD," she said.

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There was no immediate reaction from the Delhi BJP.

Asked if the image of the city will change after the G20 Summit, she said, "Definitely".

"MCD is a very important civic body in Delhi and is one of the largest corporations in India. And, maximum of (civic) work in Delhi is being done by the MCD, as it provides civic amenities. Now, you can see the change. Obviously, the image of the MCD that people of Delhi had under the leadership of the BJP, will change after the G20 Summit," she told PTI in the interview.

In coming two to three years, better cleanliness, good primary education, better facilities at civic hospitals, more beautiful parks and every aspect which is covered by the MCD, will be seem, the mayor asserted.

The AAP won the MCD elections in December, wresting power from the BJP and ending its 15-year-rule in the civic body. AAP and its senior leaders have often alleged that the MCD had been "ruined" under the BJP rule.

Mayor Oberoi on Monday claimed, "You can see that in the last 13-15 years, they (BJP) have done nothing".

"They have given big landfill sites to people. And, at that time (BJP tenure), there were big piles of garbage on streets. And, now, just in five to six months, you can see roads are cleaner. And, today morning, I inaugurated the Sultanpuri underpass which was pending since 13 years, and lot of inconvenience was faced by local people," she alleged.

The mayor said today the resources are the same, infrastructure is the same, Delhi is same, and even the officers are the same.

"But, these things were not done by the BJP because they had no intention to do that. They were just involved in corruption activities. They had no intention to work for the welfare of people of Delhi," Oberoi charged.

The G20 Leaders' Summit will take place from September 9 to 10 at Bharat Mandapam, the newly built international convention and exhibition centre at Pragati Maidan.

"Delhi is all set to host G20 guests... all necessary arrangements have been made by the Delhi government and the MCD. MCD officers, employees from all the departments, councillors, MLAs, everyone is on the ground," she said.

The civic body identified and cleaned more than 11,000 garbage vulnerable points and is conducting anti-larval spraying in all wards ahead of the G20 Summit, Oberoi said.

"We have deployed 12,000 workers on special duty to prepare Delhi for the G20 Summit... and they are feeling motivated as they are now getting salaries on time and know that MCD is under a better rule," she added.

Teams have been formed to clean areas adjacent to posh hotels, tourist attractions and the city airport, Oberoi said, adding that Delhi is ready to welcome guests for the summit.

Three major drains around Pragati Maidan were cleaned to prevent waterlogging during rains, she said.

"We have revamped and cleaned areas around Red Fort, Qutub Minar, lanes and roads in old Delhi, Town Hall and Ghalib ki Haveli, have been cleaned and beautified," the mayor said, adding that artwork made of scrap material have been installed in streets.

Asked about the cleanliness of markets, Oberoi said markets are cleaner, "we have removed illegal encroachments, so traffic woes won't be there".

Preparations for the G20 Summit in Delhi has triggered a war of words between the Kejriwal-led AAP and LG office, with both sides accusing each other of neglecting the city.

Responding to this, the mayor said, "This is an international event. And, at this platform, we should not politicise these things. The BJP, AAP, irrespective of which party they are, should welcome delegates and foreign guests. We should focus more on successful hosting of the G20 (Summit)... So that the visiting guests can see the arrangements made in collaboration with various agencies and departments."

Asked if sanitation workers will face any issues in movement on account of traffic restriction in place during September 8-10, she said, "I do not think there will be any problem in commuting for the MCD workers and officers."

Asked if the G20 Summit will change the image of Delhi too, she said, "We are trying to gradually fulfil the 19 guarantees given to people before the civic polls."

Oberoi said the MCD plan is to carry on the "good job" done by various departments beyond the G20 Summit.

"The 'Ab Delhi Hogi Saaf' drive will be carried out for 365 days, every day, and every road, every street we are going to clean," she said.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)