Cong vows 30% job quota for locals in Noida

Greater Noida: Questioning “vikas” in the district under MP Mahesh Sharma, the Congress candidate for Gautam Budh Nagar, Arvind Kumar Singh, on Tuesday said that development was high on his party’s agenda as he put forth a 10-point list of issues on which he would seek votes.
He promised reservation in jobs for local people, CCTV cameras across the city, a degree college in Jewar, upgradation of government schools and re-establishment of panchayat elections.

“Despite being a doctor, Sharma has not been able to set up even a single government hospital in Greater Noida during his five-year term as a lawmaker. However, we are fighting this election solely on the issue of development. I have outlined 10 issues that are prevailing in the district. First is unemployment and we are planning to make it compulsory for all industries to give 30% jobs to local people. Second is bad air quality, and we want to make some ground-breaking norms for improving construction techniques in order to curb pollution,” he told mediapersons.

On education, the Congress candidate said his party would set up a degree college in Jewar. “Moreover to improve women’s safety, we are planning to deploy 30% female constables in police stations. Also we want to resume panchayat polls because it was a concept of our freedom fighters and after its abolition in 2014 by BJP government, it is becoming difficult for people to get their issues addressed,” added Singh. Panchayati Raj elections were abolished in 2014 in almost 160 ‘urban villages’ of the district of a total of 243 villages. Singh also came down heavily on the BJP MP for failing to resolve the homebuyers’ issues. “If I win, I will address the issues of flat buyers by setting up a monitoring committee with representatives of investors, builders and experts to ensure possession for them,” he added.