During the rainy season, waterlogging and accumulated dirt in the drains are creating great problems for the people of Delhi. After the death of three students due to drowning in the basement of a coaching center in Old Rajendra Nagar, waterlogging in Delhi has now become a political issue. Delhi government and Lieutenant Governor are face to face. LG of Delhi visited many areas on Sunday and gave instructions to clean the drains clogged with dirt.
Sharing a thread with pictures on social media platform X, LG Delhi wrote, ‘Today I visited and inspected Barapula, Kushak and Sunehri drains and Barapula bridge in Nizamuddin. The ground reality is horrifying and shameful. Immediate corrective measures are needed to ensure smooth flow of water to reduce floods.
‘Floods come from this filth’
LG wrote, ‘These three drains come under I&FCD and MCD. They carry rain water to Yamuna. Despite claims, their silt and filth have not been removed for years. Only 5 out of 12 drains under the culvert in Barapula, 3 out of 6 in Sunehri and 4 out of 7 in Kushak drains are open and the rest are completely closed, due to which the capacity to flow water has reduced significantly. This results in backflow and flooding in the colonies.
‘Committed to the people of Delhi’
In his thread, LG wrote, ‘There is heavy encroachment on the historic Barapula bridge protected by ASI. Only 5 out of 12 drains under the bridge are partially open. The rest have been closed for years due to silt not being cleared. Instructed the accompanying officers to immediately remove silt from the clogged drains and clean them. Asked to remove debris and C&D waste.
He wrote, ‘Also directed to remove encroachment on Barapula within a week and restore the bridge to its original condition. The photographs attached with this post tell the story of criminal negligence and mindless indifference on the part of the concerned authorities and their leadership. I am committed to the welfare of Delhi and its people.
Delhi government and LG face to face
Let us tell you that the LG office had alleged that all the important files related to desalination in Delhi have been kept pending for months by Minister Saurabh Bhardwaj. In response, Delhi government minister Saurabh Bhardwaj cornered LG and BJP on many issues including drainage cleaning.
The minister said that the Delhi government had called an important meeting of officials in winter for desalting. But despite all the notices, no officer attended this meeting. Saurabh Bhardwaj said that the BJP governments in 20 states would not have done as much effort as the Delhi government has done regarding desalination.