NEW DELHI:
The indifference of officials has plunged Delhiites in various parts of the city into distress, as they grapple with the pressing issues of water scarcity and sewage overflow. In response to mounting concerns, the Delhi Legislative Assembly took decisive action on Saturday, recognizing the gravity of the situation faced by Delhiites. A resolution was tabled, swiftly passed by voice vote, urging immediate action to address these challenges. The Assembly has issued a directive to the Chief Secretary of Delhi, mandating a resolution to the sewage and water supply issues within a week. With unanimity, the Legislative Assembly emphasized accountability, asserting that should the problems persist beyond March 15, the Chief Secretary will bear responsibility. Persistent grievances from the public have underscored the urgency of the matter, prompting a call for intervention by the Chief Secretary. Additionally, a special session scheduled for March 15 aims to tackle this critical issue head-on, asserting the imperative for prompt action before the convened session.
Delhi’s Water Minister and Delhi Jal Board Chairperson, Atishi, while supporting the resolution presented in the Assembly by member Dilip Pandey, stated that there are numerous complaints daily related to sewage overflow, contaminated water supply, and broken water pipelines. Leakage in water pipelines is occurring in various places, resulting in damaged roads due to water seepage. However, these pipelines are not being repaired adequately. Even if a pipeline is fixed, it doesn’t sustain for long. MLAs are regularly confronted with such complaints in their offices, whether from the ruling party or the opposition.
“On Friday alone, I received 80 complaints within 24 hours, both on my official email and personal email, related to DJB’s matters. The problem related to the DJB has become quite widespread in Delhi now. The DJB’s grievance redressal portal has over 10,000 pending complaints. I have sent these complaints to the CEO and members of the Jal Board several times. As the number of complaints continued to rise, I instructed all the DJB officials to conduct morning rounds in their respective areas to investigate complaints. Not only that, I also instructed the DJB CEO to conduct at least 2 area visits per week and members to conduct at least 3 area visits per week to understand the ground reality, with reports to be submitted weekly,” the Delhi Water Minister informed the assembly.
Ms. Atishi further stated that however, in the past two months, not a single report from the DJB CEO has reached me. If officers do not step out of their offices to see what the problem is, how will a solution be found? It is now clear that the DJB CEO is incapable of resolving these issues. “Therefore, all 80 complaints that came to me have been forwarded to the Chief Secretary of Delhi. I have personally entrusted the Chief Secretary with two directives in this matter. The first directive is to find a solution to the leakage in pipeline and sewage overflow within 48 hours. The second directive is to find a complete solution within seven working days,” she added.
Ms. Atishi expressed, “This is not just a matter of the ruling or opposition party. This is the problem of the people of Delhi. We are all here because the people of Delhi have chosen us. The work being done today is with the tax money of the people of Delhi. In such a situation, if the people of Delhi are troubled, then answers must be given. My request is that in the proposal presented in the House, this aspect should also be included that whoever officers are responsible for delay in these works and failure to resolve the problem, should be held accountable. The Chief Secretary should be instructed to take action against such officers with an investigation.”
Meanwhile, presenting a resolution in the Assembly, MLA Dilip Pandey said that Delhi’s different constituencies are troubled by sewage overflow and contaminated water supply. The Delhi Legislative Assembly in its meeting held on March 9, 2024, resolved that it has come to the attention of the Assembly, representing the 2 crore people of Delhi, that a significant number of Delhiites are facing serious issues related to the maintenance of water supply and sewage. Serious problems such as sewage overflow and leakage in water pipelines are emerging in many parts of the city. Residents of various colonies are providing information to the members of this House about these issues. However, the responsibility for the maintenance of the sewage and water supply network and other related tasks lies with the DJB. The members of this House have shared these complaints every time with the officials of the DJB as well as on the complaint portal 1916 of the said board related to complaints about sewage overflow, contaminated water supply, and broken water pipelines. However, despite continuous complaints, the DJB has not addressed these issues.
“Due to these problems, many people in Delhi are experiencing inhumane conditions. Observing the unbearable pain of Delhiites, this Assembly proposes that complaints should be dealt with at the war footing level first, so that the people of Delhi do not have to face any problems such as sewage overflow and contaminated water supply. Secondly, the Chief Secretary will be fully responsible for resolving the water and sewage-related complaints received from various areas of Delhi. Thirdly, the Chief Secretary of Delhi is given a week’s time to resolve these complaints, and during this period, the Chief Secretary will provide daily reports to the Water Minister of the Delhi government on the related issues. Fourthly, to delve into these issues comprehensively, a special session of the Assembly has been called for Friday, March 15, 2024, at 11:00 AM, where the Chief Secretary can personally present progress reports on the resolution of all these complaints,” the MLA said.
Meanwhile, during the ongoing budget session in the Delhi Legislative Assembly, the issue of water supply and sewage overflow within Delhi was raised on Saturday. Members of the House deemed it a very serious issue and demanded a special session from the Speaker of the Assembly. Members informed the House that officers are indifferent to water and sewage issues, and people’s problems are increasing. During this time, a resolution was presented in the House on this issue, which was passed by voice vote. The resolution states that it has come to the attention of the Assembly, representing the 2 crore people of Delhi, that a significant number of Delhiites are facing serious issues related to the maintenance of water supply and sewage. Serious problems such as sewage overflow and leakage in water pipelines are emerging in many parts of the city. Residents of various colonies are providing information to the members of this House about these issues. However, the responsibility for the maintenance of the sewage and water supply network and other related tasks lies with the Delhi Jal Board.
According to the resolution presented in the assembly, complaints related to sewage overflow, contaminated water supply, and leakage from water pipelines have been shared on the DJB’s complaint portal 1916 along with the officials of the board. However, despite receiving continuous complaints, the DJB has not provided any solution to these issues. Although some problems were temporarily resolved, they resurfaced after a few days. As a result, people in Delhi are forced to live in inhumane conditions.
Key points of the resolution:
These complaints should be dealt with at the war footing level so that the people of Delhi do not face any inconvenience.
The Chief Secretary of Delhi will be responsible for resolving complaints related to water and sewage received from various areas of Delhi.
The Chief Secretary is given a week’s time to resolve these complaints. During this period, the Chief Secretary will provide daily reports to the Water Minister of the Delhi government on these issues.
A session of the Assembly will be called on Friday, March 15, 2024, at 11:00 AM to further discuss this issue, where the Chief Secretary will be personally present to present progress reports on the resolution of all these complaints.
