DECADES OF CORRUPTION LEADS TO URBAN CHAOS

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 NEW DELHI 007577 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPT FOR SCA/INS, DRL E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/03/2016 TAGS: PGOV PHUM PREL KDEM ECON EINV PINR IN SUBJECT: DECADES OF CORRUPTION LEADS TO URBAN CHAOS REF: NEW DELHI 06583 Classified By: PolCouns Ted Osius for reasons 1.4 (B,D) ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: Since 1962, shopkeepers aided by corrupt civil servants in the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) have ignored New Delhi's Master plan and illegally constructed over 50,000 shops in residential zones. After residents, angered by the intrusion of commercial activity into their neighborhoods, filed petitions, the Supreme Court ruled that the shops violated the Master Plan and ordered them sealed and shut down. In response, the Confederation of All-India Traders (CAIT) called a three day protest (October 30 - November 2). Although CAIT promised its actions would be peaceful, traders, supported by BJP "activists" committed acts of violence across the city, burned government vehicles and effigies of Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dixit and damaging property. ¶2. (C) The Delhi government and the UPA have bent to the will of the powerful traders, who promised more violence if the sealing did not stop. Both the Delhi and the Central governments have requested the Supreme Court not to seal any more business until January 31. During this interval, the Delhi Government hopes to amend the 2021 Master Plan to remove zoning restrictions and permit the illegal businesses to remain. The shops reopened on Thursday and though the Supreme Court ruled for the sealings to resume, the Group of Ministers intervened. No shops will be sealed until at least November 6th, giving the Court time to hear the concerns of both the Central government and the MCD who have filed affidavits requesting a stay on the sealings and relief for the traders. These developments in the nation's capital, which is touted as a showplace for all of India, point to a nexus between greedy traders, corrupt civil servants and opportunistic politicians which has disregarded the rule of law and undermined governance. END SUMMARY A HISTORY OF MAL-GOVERNANCE -------------- ¶3. (U) The 1962 Master Plan of New Delhi laid out a central commercial district and at least 75 district commercial centers. Forty years later, the monopolistic Delhi Development Authority has only developed nine. The plan also delineated 300 community centers, 1250 local shopping centers, and 3,000 convenience shopping centers, but less than 15 percent of these have been constructed in their predesignated commercial areas. ¶4. (U) The Delhi Development Authority (DDA) is supposed to implement the Master Plan, while the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) is supposed to crack down on those who build illegal shops and structures. Civil Servants in both agencies have lined their pockets since 1962, accepting bribes from anyone who wanted to escape the provisions of the law. Forty years later, Delhi is an urban mess with over 40,000 illegal commercial shops in residential zones, resulting in crowding, noise pollution, traffic congestion and crime in residential areas. Neighborhood Associations, fed up with the resulting decline in their quality of life, filed Public Interest Litigation suits against the Municipal Corporation of Delhi, resulting in a Supreme Court decision to enforce the Master Plan and provide relief to NEW DELHI 00007577 002 OF 003 Delhi's long-suffering residents by sealing the illegal shops. THE BANDH AND THE VIOLENCE -------------- 5.(U) Having duly bribed government officials, Delhi traders felt that they had purchased immunity from the law and were outraged that the Supreme Court was threatening their lucrative illegal businesses. In response, Delhi's Confederation of All-India Traders (CAIT) called a three day strike (October 30-November 1) demanding a halt to all sealing and insisting that they face no consequences for breaking the law. The opposition BJP, which has long been the party of Delhi's small traders, immediately supported the strike. Traders and BJP "activists" (largely unemployed youths and petty criminals for hire) caused widespread violence and disruption. CAIT assurances that their protests would be peaceful proved false, as street protests turned violent, with strikers burning at least five public buses and numerous other vehicles and bringing traffic to a standstill in many areas. Police were compelled to use water cannons and "lathi charges" to disperse violent crowds and have arrested many, including local BJP politicians. The strike not only snarled up traffic, but compelled fearful parents to keep their children off the streets and at home. As a result, schools closed early on November 1, and many remained closed on November 2. COMPELS GOVERNMENT TO BACK DOWN -------------- ¶6. (U) In the face of protest, the Delhi government and Congress politicians quickly caved in, promising to provide "relief" to traders by halting all sealing of businesses. Congress politicians claimed they had no choice, as the law and order situation was deteriorating. They pointed to a September 20 strike by traders that resulted in 4 deaths, and said they could not be responsible for a similar breakdown. CHALLENGE TO CONGRESS RULE -------------- ¶7. (C) The BJP took up the traders' cause, calling a vote of confidence against Congress Chief Minister Sheila Dixit on November 1. Her own party, fearful of the traders' wrath and eager for their patronage, was in no mood to stand up to the strikers. Although Dixit and her government survived the no confidence motion, Congress remained cowed. BUT DIXIT REMAINS IN THE SADDLE -------------- ¶8. (C) BJP and Congress sources tell us that Dixit's BJP opposition remains fractured and leaderless, and the Congress factions that oppose her don't have sufficient strength to threaten her position. They agree that Dixit will remain in power despite the strike. They also dismiss rumors that the Congress leadership plans to remove Dixit and replace her with Minister Ajay Maken as premature. Although Maken is an up and coming Congress politician, he is not trusted by the top leadership, as he frequently switches parties and is not seen as loyal (an essential pre-requisite in the Congress Party, where loyalty to the Nehru/Gandhi family is considered an absolute pre-requisite for any position of leadership). NEW DELHI 00007577 003 OF 003 APPARENT VICTORY FOR THE TRADERS -------------- ¶9. (C) The Group of Congress Ministers, headed by Home Minister Shivraj Patil, met on November 1 to discuss the developments and pushed back the sealing date to November 2. Few believe, however, that demolitions will resume any time soon, if ever. Most observers view the government's cave-in as a clear victory for the traders. Congress is busily erecting elaborate face-saving explanations. Union Urban Development Minister S. Jaipal Reddy stated that the Ministers will tell the Supreme Court that if government proceeds with the sealings it will result in further violence and a deteriorating law and order situation. The GOI has filed an affidavit to the court asking for it to "suspend" the sealings until January 31. They hope to use this interval to amend the 2021 Delhi Master Plan to legalize, retro-actively, all 50,000 illegal structures. COMMENT: A MESS DECADES IN THE MAKING -------------- ¶10. (C) COMMENT: For over 40 years, government allowed traders to construct illegal shops in residential zones in exchange for large bribes. The corruption was so blatant and so unchecked that it caused intense public outrage. At one time, such corruption could go on unreported and unchecked, but civil society, in conjunction with the courts and the media has grown more outspoken and defiant in recent years. Public-spirited citizens in housing associations took on the status quo and took their case to the courts, which provided them with redress. ¶11. (C) Pandering to powerful vested interests (the traders and corrupt civil servants) by the Congress government is a serious setback to these civil society reform efforts. Both Delhi and Central government politicians are cowering in the face of the demands of the traders. The Congress leadership has demonstrated that it is more interested in cultivating powerful vested interests than upholding the rule of law and looking after the interests of the common man. This nexus between greedy businessmen, corrupt government officials and opportunistic businessmen is repeated throughout India. Delhi has been touted by its Congress government as a showplace. However, recent events only underlie the failure of government to provide basic services (water, electricity, law and order, sanitation) to the common citizens. Instead, we are seeing the development of parallel societies, as those with money and political connections feed at the public trough and live in comfort, while most Indians do without. ¶12. (C) This latest setback demonstrates that unchecked corruption, greed and special interests can derail India's economic progress and political reform efforts. This episode also shows how decisions to create government-run monopolies to manage Delhi's development only fostered a climate of corruption in which traders made-do by paying bribes in the absence of any reliable ability to establish shops. END COMMENT MULFORD