Delhi: AAP minister alleges officials conspired to flood sensitive areas

Saurabh Bharadwaj, the Delhi Water Minister, wrote to Lt Governor V K Saxena on July 15 and to accuse top officials of willfully disobeying ministers' urgent calls and messages during the crisis. 

Senior authorities, such as Divisional Commissioner Ashwani Kumar, voiced displeasure at elected politicians singling out the police who have been "tirelessly" trying to control the flood situation in the city. 

With ministers and officials clashing over their response and decision-making during the crisis, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal tweeted: "People of Delhi are suffering due to the ordinance." 

According to the Constitution, the Lt Governor has authority over issues relating to land, law and order, and the police, while the Delhi government is in charge of other issues. 

The Centre later enacted an ordinance giving the Lt Governor responsibility over the bureaucracy in the national capital, notwithstanding the Supreme Court's recent judgement placing the services department under the Delhi government. The Supreme Court, Rajghat, and ITO were all flooded on July 13 as a result of a malfunctioning flow regulator at Drain No. 12, according to Bharadwaj's letter to Saxena. 

Also Read: Yamuna continues to recede but risk still persists in Delhi, IMD predicts more rain

He alleged that the authorities decided to only use the resources of the Irrigation and Flood Control Department in spite of his and fellow minister Atishi's efforts to enlist the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) or the engineering branch of the army for assistance.  Bharadwaj asserted that this choice caused the water levels to rise alarmingly and postponed the essential repairs. 

The minister said that Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar ignored their messages on the WhatsApp group for flood control and stayed mute.  The conduct of officials, according to Bharadwaj, was not just careless but also seemed to be part of a "deliberate conspiracy to flood sensitive areas of Lutyens' Delhi and embarrass the Supreme Court." 

He demanded harsh punishment for the alleged "criminal conspiracy against the people of Delhi" by Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar, Divisional Commissioner Ashwani Kumar, and Secretary Ashish Kundra. He also emphasised the importance of holding the officials responsible for their actions during the natural disaster and their failure to act promptly upon the ministers' instructions. 

The divisional commissioner stated that elected representatives shouldn't make unfounded accusations against cops during press conference earlier in the day. 

"Such unfortunate comments distract them," he said. On the minister's request to call in the NDRF to fix the regulator, Ashwani Kumar said: "We should know which department does what, else how can we get the work done."  On Saturday, Delhi Revenue Minister Atishi wrote to Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar and raised concern over the absence of basic facilities such as drinking water and toilets in relief camps. In her letter, she also alleged that the divisional commissioner did not respond to her calls. 

However, Ashwani Kumar said he had been returning Atishi's calls. He called her acts "unfortunate" and said that they were driven by politics. 
 
Delhi's Yamuna River is displaying a pattern of decreasing water levels, and neither the city nor its higher reaches are projected to get significant rains any time soon. According to a senior official, things are also getting better in the flood-prone neighbourhoods of the national capital.