New Delhi, July 29
Delhi Urban Development Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj on Monday alleged that he wrote several times since February to Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar for chalking out a comprehensive strategy for desilting of drains but he evaded responding to the matter.
There was no immediate reaction from Naresh Kumar. Addressing a press conference, Bharadwaj said the issue of desilting of drains is being raised and that it has not been carried out the way it should have.
“On February 6 this year, I had issued a notice for meeting of all departments for chalking out a comprehensive strategy to prevent waterlogging during monsoon. This meeting was scheduled for February 13 but not even one IAS officer turned up. “Only executive engineers of departments were present. Since various departments were not represented by their heads, the chairman, that is me, expressed displeasure over the same. This is also mentioned in the minutes of the meeting,” he added. Bharadwaj said he wrote a note on February 23 to take action against the heads of departments for not attending the meeting but he did not do anything.
“On May 20, I wrote again to Chief Secretary on importance of desilting and departments like Irrigation and Flood Control, MCD, NDMC, etc should share their plans about it but there was no response. After a fortnight, I again wrote to him but there was no reply,” he alleged. The minister alleged that on June 6, he received an “absurd” reply from Kumar.
“Such a letter from Chief Secretary in any other state would have led to his suspension. He (Kumar) said that the High Court was monitoring the waterlogging situation in the capital and they (bureaucrats) had informed the court,” he said.
He alleged that Kumar even misled the high court about the waterlogging and desilting of drains in the capital.
“The Centre gave two extensions to Naresh Kumar as CS of Delhi. He is ruining the city. The CS gave in writing that the minister (Bharadwaj) cannot seek details of desilting citing model code of conduct,” he claimed.
