MadamChiefMinister,congratulationsonyourparty’sspectacularvictoryinDelhi.And congratulationsontakingchargeasthechiefministershipofthenationalcapital.Your journeyhasbeenlongandyourstruggleexemplary.IhavereportedonyourvictoryinDUSU electionsandhavewitnessedyourjourneyinpublicservicefromthereon.ThePrime MinisterhassaidthattheBJPshouldactivelyinductyouthintheparty.Whatwouldbeyour message to the youth aspiring to join politics?

Thankyousomuchforyourkindwordsandforwalkingalongsidethisjourney.Politics,forme, hasalwaysbeenaboutservice,notposition.Ienteredstudentpoliticswiththebeliefthatchange beginswhereyoustand,andthatbeliefhasonlygrownstrongerovertheyears.

ThePrimeMinisterisabsolutelyright,Indiaisayoungdynamicnation. Wehavethelargestyouth populationintheworld.Iftheyouthbringtheirenergyandintegrityintopolitics,theywon’tjustjoin thesystem,theywilltransformit.India’sfutureneedsyoung,energetic,andcommittedvoicesin politics.

Mymessagetoyouthissimple,don’twaitforthe‘righttime’toserve;startnow.Whetherit’sinyour college,yourmohalla,yourcity,justgetinvolved.Learntheissues,listentopeople,andworkforthem. Politics is not a career ladder; it’s a lifelong responsibility. If you come with the intention to give more thanyoutake,youwillfindpurposeandrespect.

WhatwereyourfirstthoughtswhenyouwerenamedastheChiefMinisterofDelhi?Did you expect it?

When my party entrusted me with this responsibility, my first thought was simple: Now I have to workevenharder,becauseeveryhope,everypromise,everydreamofDelhiisnowmyresponsibilityto deliver.

Who was the first to inform you about the party’s decision to put you at the helm? Was there a phone call or someone came to meet you or you were called?

I didn’t receive any call or message, it was as much a pleasant surprise for me as for everyone else. I amdeeplygratefultothepartyleadershipforthetrustandresponsibilitytheyhaveplacedinme.

You have taken over the administration of the state at a time when Delhi is facing numerous challenges. I would like to understand how you plan to resolve these issues. The first and the most immediate issue is urban housing. There have been issues relating to relocation of slum-dwellers. There were talks of their in-situ rehabilitation. What’s your vision for the housing needs of this segment of the state’s population?

Yes,Delhiwasinadirestatewhenwetookover,thepastgovernmentleftnostoneunturnedto destroyDelhitothecore,especiallyforthepoorestofthepoorlivinginslums.Foryears,theirpainwas ignored.Thepreviousgovernmenttreatedthemasavotebank,makingbigpromisesbutnevergiving themdignityorapermanentroofovertheirheads.

Undermygovernment,thatinjusticeends.Noslumwillberemovedwithoutprovidingalternative housing first. Even when demolitions happen, whether by DDA, Railways, or municipal bodies, they areonlyaspercourtorders,andourfocusisalwaysonensuringthateveryaffectedfamilyisrelocated withdignity.

Mygovernmentispreparingacomprehensivestrategytomeetthedemandfor10lakhhousesforthe poor.Inthefirstphase,wewillrevive50,000unallottedflatsbuiltunderJawaharlalNehruNational UrbanRenewalMission(JNNURM)thattheoldgovernmentlefttodecay.Wewillrenovatethem andallotthemtoslumdwellersunderthePradhanMantriAwasYojana–Urban.

Madam, winters are approaching. Delhi has been facing severe air pollution during winter months. How do you plan to address this chronic air problem?

Yes,wintersinDelhihavesadlybecomeaseasonofsmog,acrisisthepreviousgovernmenttalked aboutbutneversolved.Theyspentcroresonadvertisements,whileDelhigaspedforbreath.We decided enough is enough, and the results are clearly showing. If you have intent, you will definitely be abletoworkontheissues.Delhi’sAirQualityIndexhasalreadydroppedto74,whichisthelowestina decade.

WeunderstandDelhi’suniquepositionandthechallengesthatcomewithit,andwehavedevelopeda comprehensiveAirPollutionMitigationPlantocontinuethisprogress.Underthisplan,weare deployingupto1,000watersprinklersand140anti-smoggunsacrossDelhithroughouttheyear, except during the monsoon. Our focus is making Delhi dust-with the use of advanced dust-control machines, watersprinklervehicles,mechanicalroadsweepingmachines,andbattery-operatedlitter

pickers. We are enforcing strict management of construction and demolition waste, and all commercial buildingsover3,000sq.metreswillnowberequiredtohaveanti-smogguns.

Onvehicularpollution,wearemovingaggressively.Today,DelhialreadyhasmorethanG00DEVi busesand2,000electricbusesoperating,andweareexpandingourelectricmobilitynetworktomake publictransportcleanerandmoreaccessible.

We are proving that with the right political will, Delhi can breathe easier not just this winter, but every season.WewillturnourDelhifromagaschambertoagreenchamber!

The Yamuna remains heavily polluted despite repeated clean-up efforts. What’s different in your current approach? What are the major challenges in cleaning up the river and how long do you think it’ll take to really clean it up?

Look,cleaningtheYamunaisnotaone-dayjob.Thisisaproblemcreatedoverdecadesof negligence,soyes,itwilltakesometimetofix.Butthistime,theworkhastrulybegun.

Thepreviousgovernmentonlyheldmeetings,clickedphotos,anddeliveredzeroresults.Wehave changedtheapproach,wearetacklingtheproblematsource.Forthefirsttime,therehasbeena historicbudgetallocationof  `9,000croretowardsYamunaActionPlantocleanourholyriver.We havelauncheda45-pointactionplanfocusedoninfrastructuredevelopment,sewagetreatment plants,andexpandingsewerconnectionsacrossthecity.Thisincludes40decentralisedSTPsatacost of `500 crore so that sewage is treated at source, along with upgrading
existing STPs. We are also enforcingstrictindustrialwasterulesandensuringzerountreatedsewageentersthe river.

TherejuvenationoftheYamunaRiverisacollectiveeffort,itrequirescoordinationbetweencitizens andthegovernmenttoaddressthislong-standingissue.Oneofthebiggestchallengesisuntreated industrialandcommercialwastedischarge.Toaddressthis,theDelhigovernmenthaslauncheda citywidecrackdown.Inspectionshavebeenorderedacrossindustriesandcommercialestablishments tostopillegalsewageandwastedischargeintotheYamuna.

AndYamuna’srevivalisnotjustaboutcleaning,it’saboutrestoringitslifeandconnectiontothe people.Soon,cruiseserviceswillbeginonaneight-kilometrestretchfromtheWazirabadbarrageto Jagatpur,boostingtourismandculturaldevelopment.

Delhi has also been facing water-logging issues and flooding in areas near Yamuna during monsoon. Do you have a long-term roadmap to resolve these issues?

For years, Delhi suffered from waterlogging and flooding every monsoon because previous governments treated it as ‘natural’ and did nothing. We refused to accept that excuse.

This year, the MCD surpassed its desilting target by clearing over 1.7 lakh metric tonnes of silt from 800 major drains, that’s almost 135 % of the goal and almost double than last year. The difference was visible, several key locations that used to flood every year saw no waterlogging at all. And where water did accumulate, it was cleared within hours using modern machines and advanced technology.

This is not a one-season fix. We are preparing a long-term drainage master plan so that flooding near the Yamuna and across Delhi becomes history.

Thecitywitnessedalongspellofcleanairdayslastmonth.Thishastriggeredadebateon whethervehiclesarereallythemainculpritbehindDelhi’shighpollution.Alargepopulation isunhappyaboutlawsjunkingcarsafter10years.Yourgovernmentreportedlyplanneda furthercrackdownonoldvehicles.What’syourtakeonvehicularpollution andretiring10-year-old vehicles?

ItwasmygovernmentthatapproachedtheSupremeCourttoreviewtheblanketbanon end-of-lifevehiclesinDelhi-NCR.Webelievethatfitness-certified,non-pollutingvehiclesshouldbe allowedontheroadsregardlessofage.ModernBS-VIengines,strictPUCnorms,androbustemissions testingmakeitpossibletohaveascience-based,emission-focusedpolicyinsteadofarbitraryagelimits. Mystandisclear,ifavehicleisn’tpolluting,itshouldn’tbebanned.Wearecommittedtoclean mobility,butinawaythatisfairandjusttocitizens.

Delhi’s landfills have been a big eyesore. It’s also a source of many diseases. The issue of their removal has been debated for long but they have only grown in size. How do you plan to tackle this issue? Do you have any timeline for their removal?

ThesightofDelhi’slandfillspainsmeasmuchasitdoeseverycitizen.That’swhymy governmentistreatingthisasatoppriority.BiominingatGhazipur,Bhalswa,andOkhlaisrunningat fullcapacity,we’vescaledoutputto30,000tonnesperday,upfrom25,000TPDjustmonthsago.At Okhla alone, over 30 acres out of G2 have already been reclaimed. We’ve begun planting 8,000 bamboo saplingstheretoturnitintoagreenlungforthecity.

We’re not just removing waste, we’re reclaiming these sites for public good, future sports complexes, hospitals,andschools.Youcanalreadyseethereductionintheirheight.

Inthepreviousgovernment,coordinationbetweenstategovernmentand the LGwasasorepoint. Howisitgoingnow?DoyouthinkthepowersofCMandLGareclearlydelineatedorthere needs to be more clarity?

Thereisatriple-enginegovernmentinDelhinow,weallworktogetherforthewelfareofthe citizens.Unlikethepreviousgovernment,whichconstantlyclashedwiththeCentralGovernmentand theLG,creatingobstaclestodevelopment,weworkincompletecoordination.Earlier,criticalschemes forDelhiwerenotimplementedandfundsmeantforthepeopleofDelhiwereheldback.We,onthe otherhand,workwiththeCentralGovernment,notagainstit,ensuringthateveryprojectandwelfare measuremovesforwardwithoutdelay.

Howdoyourespondto
allegationsthatyourpartyhascontinuedpopulistschemesoffree electricityandwaterwhileopposingtheseearlierasrevri? Doyouthinkthepopulistschemesarefinancially sustainable?

We are for public welfare, not political gimmicks. The AAP government spent on optics but delivered very little on outcomes. We believe in responsible governance. Our focus is on targeted subsidies, verified beneficiaries, and measurable impact. For us, governance means investing in infrastructure,education,health,andcleanair,notjustsplashingtaxpayers’moneyonunverified schemes and giant posters.

Yourgovernmentisworkingonmanyfronts,butwhatwouldyousayareyourtopthree priorities for Delhi in the next one year?

TheyleftDelhiinsuchadirestatethatnarrowingitdowntojustthreeprioritiesisimpossible.Forme, everything is a priority right now. Before we can dream big, we have to settle the basics. The very foundationsofciviclife,water,electricity,cleanliness,healthcare,education,andsafetyneedurgent attention.Myfirsttaskistobringstability,order,andefficiencybackintothesecoreservicessothat everyDelhi resident feelsthechangeinhis everydaylife.Onlyoncethesebasicsarestrongcanwebuildthe Delhi of our dreams.

You recently called for a complete overhaul of the Delhi government’s litigation handling process. Why do you feel the need for it?

Delhi’slitigationsystemhaslongsufferedfromdelays,poorcoordination,andlackof accountability.Wearenowbringinginastructuredoverhaultofixthis.Expertpanelsofretired bureaucratsandlegalspecialistswillreviewthebacklogtoidentifycasesthatcanbefast-tracked, settled,orwithdrawn.Thiswillsavetime,reducetheburdenoncourts,andimproveefficiency. Importantly,DelhineverhadapermanentpaneloflawyersfortheSupremeCourt,somethingmost otherstateshave.Ihavenoworderedthecreationofsuchapanel,alongwithsenioradvocatesforthe HighCourtandkeytribunals,sothatDelhi’slegalrepresentationisalwaysstrong,consistent,and professional.

Therehasbeenamovetoreplacecolonial-eralaws.Whicharethelawsthatneed replacement and why?

Thereisstillasignificantrelianceonoutdatedcolonial-eralawslikethePunjabCourtsActand theSuitValuationAct,bothofwhicharemorethanahundredyearsold.Theselawswereframedfora completelydifferenttimeandgovernancestructure,andtheynolongerreflecttheneedsofamodern, fast-evolvingDelhi.

Ibelieveit’stimewebringinlegislationthatiscontemporary,relevant,andalignedwithtoday’slegal realities. The Law Department will actively work on replacing such antiquated statutes with modern frameworksthatensureefficiency,transparency,andbetterjusticedelivery.

Thisvisionisalsoinsyncwiththelandmarklegalreformsinitiatedbythecentralgovernment,where threemajorcriminallawshavebeenoverhauledreplacingtheIndianPenalCodewiththeBharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) with the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), and the Indian Evidence Act, 1872, with the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam (BSA).