Delhi Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj Criticizes Officials Over Waterlogging Crisis and Student Deaths
New Delhi [India], July 29: Delhi Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj has criticized senior officials for their lack of action in addressing the waterlogging crisis, which has become a major issue following the deaths of three students at a coaching institute in Rajendra Nagar.
Minister’s Concerns
During a press conference, Bharadwaj stated, “On February 6, I issued the first notice to convene a meeting of all senior officials, including the Commissioner of the MCD, to discuss de-silting measures to prevent waterlogging.” He added that despite calling numerous IAS officers, including Naresh Kumar, none attended the meeting, reflecting a lack of seriousness towards the issue.
Accusations Against the Lieutenant Governor
Bharadwaj also criticized Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena for politicizing the issue. He said, “When the LG went to Old Rajinder Nagar, slogans were raised against him, and the students rejected him. In such a sensitive matter, he should not have used the situation for political gains.”
AAP MP Sanjay Singh’s Statement
AAP MP Sanjay Singh accused the BJP of conspiring with the LG and assured action in the matter. He said, “It is a very unfortunate incident. Many coaching centres are running libraries and classes in their basements illegally. Action will be taken against the officials who are involved in it.”
MCD Commissioner’s Response
MCD Commissioner Ashwani Kumar addressed the situation, stating, “This is a very sad incident…We will demolish all the encroachments there in that area and will recover the drainage system there…The other action taken in this incident is, that all the basements which are illegal or coaching centres are running there, we are taking action against them…The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has terminated a Junior Engineer and suspended an assistant engineer and seeks an explanation from the concerned Executive Engineer.”
Doubts Revealed
Saurabh Bharadwaj -: Saurabh Bharadwaj is a politician in Delhi, which is the capital city of India. He is a minister in the Delhi government.
Waterlogging -: Waterlogging happens when there is too much water on the ground, usually because of heavy rain, and it doesn’t drain away. This can cause problems like flooding.
Rajendra Nagar -: Rajendra Nagar is a neighborhood in Delhi. It’s a place where people live and work.
Lieutenant Governor -: The Lieutenant Governor (LG) is a high-ranking official who helps manage the city of Delhi. VK Saxena is the current LG of Delhi.
AAP -: AAP stands for Aam Aadmi Party. It is a political party in India that mainly works in Delhi.
MP -: MP stands for Member of Parliament. Sanjay Singh is an MP from the Aam Aadmi Party.
BJP -: BJP stands for Bharatiya Janata Party. It is one of the major political parties in India.
MCD Commissioner -: The MCD Commissioner is the head of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi, which is responsible for local services like cleaning streets and managing parks. Ashwani Kumar is the current MCD Commissioner.
Encroachments -: Encroachments are when people build things or take over land illegally, without permission.