New Delhi, Jul 1 (PTI) The Rs 99-crore Chandni Chowk beautification project has "completely failed" due to the previous government's poor planning and lack of a long-term maintenance strategy, the Chandni Chowk Nagrik Manch alleged on Tuesday.

Citing deteriorating conditions of the market, the forum has written to the Delhi Mayor, Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) commissioner and senior political leaders demanding immediate action.

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In a letter addressed to Mayor Raja Iqbal Singh, Delhi BJP spokesperson and the forum's general secretary Praveen Shankar Kapoor, claimed that political apathy by the area's elected representatives, most of whom belong to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), has enabled illegal encroachments and rampant violation of civic norms.

"All MLAs and municipal councillors from Chandni Chowk and nearby areas belong to AAP. Under their political protection, illegal rickshaws and encroachments are flourishing, while cleanliness has been completely neglected," Kapoor said.

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He alleged that whenever MP Praveen Khandelwal inspects the area with officials and issues instructions to clear encroachments or improve sanitation, the AAP councillors intervene to block action, instructing aligned inspectors to ignore the directives.

(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)