Min writes to L-G, alleges collusion by senior officers with tanker mafia

Delhi Water minister Atishi on Wednesday wrote to Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena demanding an inquiry into alleged collusion by senior officers with the tanker mafia, as the Capital grapples with a water crisis in this heat.

• L-G ASKS DELHI POLICE CHIEF TO ENSURE VIGIL ALONG MUNAK CANAL

She also requested the L-G to deploy an ACP-level police officer to patrol the stretch of Munak Canal in Delhi to ensure that no illegal water filling activity happens there. “There is a need for an enquiry into potentially collusion by senior officers in the Delhi government with the tanker mafia because it seems that there has been deliberate and substantial reduction of the tankers deployed by the Delhi Jal Board in the last one year,” she claimed.

Citing numbers, Atishi said that in January last year, 1,179 tankers were deployed by the Delhi Jal Board and this number was 1,203 in June the same year.

“However, this number was reduced to 888 in January 2024 without any approval from me. In fact, without any consultation with me. I repeatedly kept flagging the issue of grievances regarding water tanker shortage and asking the CEO DJB to increase the number of tankers, but he did not do so,” she alleged. The minister said that she directed the chief secretary on March 14, April 3 and April 12 to increase the number of water tankers to the same number as deployed in the previous years, but he did not do so.

CLOSER LOOK

• She also requested the L-G to deploy an ACP-level police officer to patrol the stretch of Munak Canal to ensure that no illegal water-filling activity happens there