NEW DELHI: Water minister Atishi on Friday wrote to Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar, asking him to expeditiously address issues of sewer overflow, contaminated water supply, and pipeline leaks in the national capital.
Nearly 80 complaints from people reporting sewer overflow and leaks in water pipelines were received on a single day. The water minister forwarded these complaints to the Chief Secretary, giving him a 48-hour deadline to resolve (even if temporarily) these problems.
The minister stated that over 10,000 complaints on the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) helpline remain unresolved. Despite repeated instructions to the CEO and senior officials, there is no improvement of the situation on ground, the minister said, adding that many people are compelled to live in inhuman conditions due to such unaddressed civic issues.
Additionally, the minister said that officials are not submitting weekly inspection reports, raising concerns about their intentions. Does this imply that officials are unwilling to alleviate the sewage overflow and contaminated water supply issues despite directives, Atishi questioned in her letter.
“Despite my instructions, the CEO, chief engineers, and other officials, who are required to send me their inspection reports every Monday, have not provided me with a single inspection report. It seems as if DJB officials prefer that the people of Delhi continue to live with overflowing sewers, contaminated water supply, and leaking pipelines,” she said.
She said since the CEO and officials of DJB are not paying attention to complaints, all complaints to the DJB will now be directed towards Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar.
The water minister instructed the Chief Secretary to find short-term solutions for all issues related to sanitation and water supply within 48 hours and to completely resolve the problem within the week.
‘Officers indifferent’
Atishi, in her letter to the Chief Secretary, claimed that despite her repeated instructions to the CEO and senior officials of the Delhi Jal Board, there is no improvement of the situation on ground. The minister said that due to the negligence of civic officers, many people in the city are compelled to live in inhuman conditions due to unaddressed issues in basic civic amenities.