Delhi govt, state bureaucracy now battle over water

AN OFFICIAL SAID DELAY IN FUNDS COULD IMPACT WORK ON THE DEVELOPMENT AND UPGRADATION OF SEWAGE PLANTS

Water is the subject of the latest instalment of the long-running feud between the Union Territory's elected government on one side, and its bureaucracy and the lieutenant governor on the other with Delhi's Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government warning of a looming water crisis in the Capital, attributing this to finance secretary Ashish Verma for stopping the release of a tranche of funds to the Delhi Jal Board (DJB), and Verma saying that it is wrong to claim that water supply or sewage treatment will stop in the city.

Delhi water and finance minister Atishi has blamed Verma for stopping the second instalment of the grant-in-aid and loans to the water utility and demanded his suspension. She has also written to LG VK Saxena asking for his interv claiming the national capital might plunge into a "man-made" water and sanitation crisis in coming days.

Verma said the government provides loan and grants only for new works and funds for these projects are to be released on basis of progress on ground. "₹1,598 crore was already released to DJB in June. Further funds will be released on basis of evidence of progress of works and geotagging for ensuring that public funds are not being misappropriated," he said.

To be sure, core services are managed by DJB's own employees and are unlikely to be stopped in the near future. "Running of water and sewage treatment plants is DJB's own responsibility. It is wrong to say that water supply or sewage treatment will stop," explained Verma.