L-G, Atishi rap Chief Secy. over civic ‘infrastructure collapse’, sewage overflow

Minister and L-G address sewage overflow crisis in Delhi, urging government officials to take immediate action.

Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar on Monday came under severe criticism from Lieutenant-Governor V.K. Saxena and Water Minister Atishi on the issues of overflowing drains and “the complete collapse of civic infrastructure” in Delhi during the monsoon.

In a letter to Mr. Kumar, Raj Niwas said the “underlying problems (of infrastructural issues) are symptomatic of endemic neglect” and a “complete absence of senior management oversight” in the city.

“Drains have not been de-silted for years; sewer lines are choked, leading to flooding even in planned colonies. Hon’ble L-G believes that this points to a complete absence of senior management oversight,” read the letter by Ashish Kundra, Mr. Saxena’s Principal Secretary, to Mr. Kumar.

On the other hand, the Minister said she had received complaints about sewage overflow from many parts of the city.

“The problem of sewage overflow is also causing contamination of drinking water, which could lead to a serious public health crisis if not resolved immediately,” she said.

Ms. Atishi asked the Chief Secretary to “mobilise the entire government machinery” to prevent a public health crisis.

Mr. Saxena and the Minister asked the Chief Secretary to assign specific responsibilities to senior officials and ask them to conduct periodic ground inspections.