Delhi Water Minister Atishi on Wednesday directed Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar to personally monitor the redress of all water and sewage-related grievances with the departments and officers concerned.
Kumar has also been directed to coordinate with the Delhi Jal Board and the Urban Development and the Finance departments to ensure that water and sewerage systems keep functioning optimally.
Atishi said in an official order that many grievances regarding sewer overflow, water contamination, water pipeline leakage and water shortage are repeatedly coming from various parts of Delhi.
Such grievances have repeatedly been raised by MLAs in the assembly, Atishi said in the order and added that water and sewer management are critical civic utilities that cannot be put on hold because the Model Code of Conduct for the Lok Sabha elections has been imposed, it said.
"Therefore, to ensure that water and sewer systems keep functioning optimally, the chief secretary shall be responsible for overseeing the functioning of water supply, sewerage systems and ensuring the redressal of any grievances regarding the same," the order stated.
All files on water and sewerage related issues that move among the Delhi Jal Board and the Urban Development and the Finance departments will be sent through the chief secretary so that he can personally monitor those, according to the order.
She also directed that Chief Secretary Kumar "shall personally monitor the redressal of all water and sewerage-related grievances with the concerned departments and officers".
"The chief secretary shall ensure that an adequate number of water tankers are available for all parts of Delhi, as per the requirements of summer months; as well as monitor their daily functioning," it said.
Kumar has also been authorised to issue necessary directions to all officers concerned to ensure that water and sewer systems keep functioning optimally.
"The chief secretary will submit a bi-weekly report (every Monday and Thursday) to the office of the chief minister, urban development minister and the water minister with an action-taken-report on all the grievances forwarded to him, as well as clear timelines on medium- and long-term resolution of the issues causing the grievances," the order stated.
On March 15, the Delhi Assembly passed a resolution that mandated the chief secretary to continue to monitor the short- and the long-term resolution of water and sewer problems across the national capital.
A sitting of the House will be called on Friday during which the chief secretary will present a report on the issues that have been resolved.
