Latest News | BJP Blames Delhi Govt Orders on Funds Release for Waterlogging, AAP Hits Back
Get latest articles and stories on Latest News at LatestLY. The BJP on Friday accused the AAP government in Delhi of stalling the release of funds for maintenance of sewer lines and held it responsible for widespread waterlogging in the city this monsoon.
New Delhi, Aug 23 (PTI) The BJP on Friday accused the AAP government in Delhi of stalling the release of funds for maintenance of sewer lines and held it responsible for widespread waterlogging in the city this monsoon.
Hitting back at the saffron party, AAP alleged that the BJP, through the lieutenant governor and the bureaucracy, had turned Delhi into a "living hell".
No immediate reaction was available from the Lieutenant Governor's Office over the AAP's claim.
The BJP's Delhi president Virendra Sachdeva said Satyendar Jain on June 5, 2020, and Saurabh Bharadwaj on July 21, 2023, issued orders as the-then water ministers that no official would issue work orders for even Rs 100 without approval from the departmental minister.
"This led to a complete breakdown in maintenance services of the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) in the last one year and no maintenance work was carried out, causing Delhi to be submerged," Sachdeva charged.
Water Minister Atishi, who said on Thursday that Delhi had been turned into a "living hell" because of an "artificial financial crisis" created in the DJB, cancelled these orders after officers explained the situation to her, Sachdeva claimed.
The ruling AAP, however, said in a statement that administrative orders could change from time to time.
Sachdeva also demanded that Bharadwaj, the current health minister, take responsibility for Delhi's waterlogging problems and immediately resign.
"The whole city is struggling with waterlogging. Kirari, Sangam Vihar and Burari are permanently waterlogged. Even upscale areas such as Rohini, Rajendra Nagar, Patel Nagar and Kamla Nagar are severely affected. The sewer barrel has collapsed near the Old Delhi railway station, yet water board officials are unable to issue any orders for repairs or major cleaning work," he claimed.
Atishi has been busy "blaming" officials instead of taking action. She accused everyone -- from the lieutenant governor to the chief secretary and the DJB's executive engineers -- of not doing work at the behest of BJP leaders, Sachdeva said.
AAP, in its response, charged that the sewerage problem stemmed from an "artificially-created financial crisis" in the DJB, allegedly done by the Lieutenant Governor's Office and "BJP-controlled officers".
The Delhi government allocated Rs 7,195 crore for the DJB in the budget for this fiscal but it remains starved of funds due to the endless shuttling of files between the urban development and finance departments, the party claimed. PTI
(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)