Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta asserted on Wednesday that the new government in the national capital will leave no stone unturned to ensure de-silting of all the drains and prevent waterlogging issues during the rainy season. Accompanied by Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena, PWD Minister Parvesh Sahib Singh Verma and senior officers of various departments, the chief minister inspected the de-silting work at the Sunehri Pul drain.
Complaining that no de-silting was undertaken in the tenure of the previous AAP regime in Delhi, Gupta said the new BJP government has to start from "zero" and complete the work.
Gupta said "this is her second visit to review the SunheriPul Drain after two days. When this drain was initially constructed, perhaps no proper desilting mechanism was planned for the future. During the monsoon, these drains would get clogged, leading to severe waterlogging issues in nearby residential colonies. Today, we are here to find a solution to this challenge. Using advanced machinery, we are making cuts into the drain to remove layers of accumulated silt that have been settling for years." "The primary objective is to ensure that Delhi does not face waterlogging issues in the upcoming monsoon season. Officials have been strictly directed to complete desilting work on time," she added. The Chief Minister emphasised, "This initiative will not just be limited to the Sunheri Pul drain, but will extend to all major and minor drains across Delhi. We have made a complete plan, and all departments have been directed to ensure desilting is conducted in their respective areas. She also said the condition of the water pipelines and leakage is such that almost half of the city is getting water through tankers. "There is no water and taps and these need to be created," she said. The "double-engine" government of the BJP, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is committed to getting all these things done and has already started working on it, Gupta said, in a reference to the party being in power both at the Centre and in Delhi. Two days after the LG, chief minister and public works department (PWD) minister inspected the Sunehri Pul drain in south Delhi, they again went to the spot to supervise the de-silting work on Wednesday. "Nothing was thought about the de-silting of this drain by those who constructed it by covering it with at least 15-inch thick concrete slabs. The nearby colonies get waterlogged," Gupta told reporters. She said the slabs have to be cut to expose the clogged drain for de-silting. "The accumulated silt has solidified like rock and is being removed with the help of machines," she said.
All kinds of machines, including super suckers of the PWD and high-pressure water jets of the fire department, are deployed to de-silt the drain, Gupta added.
The bigger drains need to be de-silted first so that the water from the drains in the streets and the PWD's 60-foot-wide roads drain out. "We are on the ground to find solutions, we are not confined to air-conditioned rooms and are paying attention to what others are saying," Gupta said over senior AAP leader Manish Sisodia's jibe at her government's efforts to clean the Yamuna river.
During this visit, Saxena directed all the concerned departments to work in coordination and take concrete steps for desilting the drain and ensuring smooth water flow. Meanwhile, Sisodia reposted a video by a social media user on X, purportedly showing waterlogged streets in the Patparganj area.
"This is a part of the new government's Yamuna-cleaning plan. Stop all the sewerage of the localities in the streets, if the sewerage does not go into the Yamuna, the river will get cleaned automatically," the former deputy chief minister said in his post on the microblogging platform. Sisodia is also a former MLA from Patparganj.
