In an open letter Delhi LG debunks Kejriwal’s ‘free water’ promise
- In Reports
- 11:49 PM, Apr 16, 2024
- Myind Staff
Delhi's Lieutenant Governor, VK Saxena, penned an open letter to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal following a communication from AAP minister Atishi urging the suspension of the CEO of Delhi Jal Board in light of a murder triggered by a water dispute in the nation's capital.
"It has become habitual on the part of your ministers to blame officers for their own fault," he wrote, stressing he had to write the open letter as "direct communication with you in present circumstances is not possible".
In the letter, he accused the AAP government of deceiving the people by "creating a chimera of free water".
"Instead of fixing the iniquitous water supply, you and your ministers created a chimera of free water. Deception of people has been mastered into an art form by you and your minister," he said.
The Aam Aadmi Party promptly replied to the letter, accusing the Lieutenant Governor of encouraging officials to hinder the operations of the Delhi Jal Board.
"The Lt Governor is responsible for stopping DJB's work. He encourages officers to do so. No action was taken against the officers despite repeated requests," said Atishi.
Just a few days prior, the Delhi Water Minister had sent a letter to the Lieutenant Governor, urging for the urgent suspension of the CEO of Delhi Jal Board (DJB). She asserted that "criminal negligence has taken place under his watch" following the tragic incident where a woman lost her life in a dispute with her neighbour over accessing water from a communal tap in the Farsh Bazar area of northeast Delhi.
"In light of this shocking incident of the death of a woman in Farsh Bazar following violence due to water shortage, Hon'ble LG is requested to immediately suspend the CEO of Delhi Jal Board within 24 hours as this criminal negligence has taken place under his watch," she said.
In retaliation, Mr. Saxena asserted that Atishi had essentially indicted her own administration by "underlining the inadequate supply of water as the cause of the incident". "Atishi has ironically indicted her own government of more than nine years. Her note indeed is a prima facie admission of guilt, inaction, and inefficiency over," he added.
Providing a detailed breakdown of the crisis, Mr. Saxena asserted that out of approximately 2.5 crore residents in the city, "more than 2 crore (over 80%) people are deprived of drinking water supply in varying degrees".
"It simply points to the fact that there has been no effort whatsoever during the last ten years for plugging the leaks and we seem to be spending thousands of crores in pumping water into a leaking bucket," the Lt Governor claimed.
In her note, Atishi accused officers of the Delhi Jal Board of "inaction" and asserted that "there has been a concerted conspiracy to stop the funds of Delhi Jal Board in the FY 2023-24".
Rebutting her claim, Mr Saxena said, "Since 2015, ₹ 28,400 crore has been spent as Capital Expenditure by DJB. However, according to the Economic Survey 2023-24, over the last decade, water treatment capacity has grown marginally from 906 MGD to 946 MGD, a barely 4.4 percent increase."
Mr. Saxena, frequently in disagreement with the AAP government, took a dig at the Chief Minister's pledge to "transform Delhi into Singapore." He highlighted that in Singapore, the rate of "unaccounted for water" stands at merely five percent, contrasting starkly with Delhi's 58 percent. He further pointed out that several other Indian cities perform significantly better than Delhi in this regard, citing figures such as Chennai (35 percent), Mumbai (27 percent), and Pune (35 percent).
Unaccounted for water is a sum of water leakages by way of transmission and distribution losses, water theft and non-payment of dues.
He additionally alleged a stark contrast in water supply between affluent neighbourhoods and slums as well as unauthorised colonies.
"The rich in the city staying in affluent colonies have round-the-clock water supply and get as high as 500 litres per person per day- which translates to nearly 35 buckets of water per person per day while in unauthorised colonies and slums, water availability is less than 50 litre per person per day," he said. "Many of these settlements receive water supply for barely half an hour a day. In some cases, water is supplied on alternate days," Mr Saxena added.
VK Saxena also claimed that seven percent of households, averaging to around 20 lakh people, still lack access to piped water supply.
Image source: Times Now News
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