Dispute over water, minor kills woman

Samad Hoque

New Delhi, April 14

A 15-year-old girl stabbed a woman to death in Shahdara after an argument ensued between two neighbours over using the common water tap area.

The 34-year-old victim received a few cuts on her left hand and a wound on her stomach, the police said. She was taken to a nearby hospital, where she was declared brought dead.

Atishi seeks action against DJB CEO

• Water Minister Atishi urged the L-G to launch an independent inquiry into the actions of the Chief Secretary (CS) and officers from Finance, Urban Development (UD) and the DJB, calling for disciplinary measures against officers who failed to increase water supply.
• She said the negligence of the DJB officers had led to water crisis and consequently the woman’s death.
• “This negligence is criminal and demands immediate and exemplary action against the highest-ranking DJB officers,” the minister said.

An officer said, “On the day of the incident, the mother of the accused girl was filling water in a tub for washing clothes, but the woman also wanted to wash her utensils at the time. So, she removed the tub before it got filled.”

This led to an argument between the two and during the fight, the deceased, identified as Soni, twisted the girl’s hand, and the girl was taken to Dr Headgewar Hospital for treatment.

“The girl was treated as a non-MLC patient and an X-ray of her hand was conducted. Thereafter, the girl and her mother returned to their room and again had a fight with Soni and her husband Satbir. During this fight the girl stabbed Soni,” the officer added. The girl was later apprehended by the police.

The building housed four rooms on the first floor and three rooms were occupied by three separate families, while the owner kept a room for his own use.

All the occupants of these four rooms use a common toilet and a common tap, along with a small space near the tap, which is used by all tenants for washing clothes and utensils.

Taking cognisance of the incident, Delhi Water Minister Atishi on Sunday urged the Lieutenant-Governor VK Saxena to immediately suspend the Chief Executive Officer of Delhi Jal Board within 24 hours.

The Water Minister urged the L-G to launch an independent inquiry into the actions of the Chief Secretary (CS) and officers from Finance, Urban Development (UD) and the DJB, calling for disciplinary measures against officers who failed to increase water supply.

The actions of the Chief Secretary and officers from the Finance Department, UD, and the DJB led to the shortage of funds in the DJB in financial year 2023-24, hindering essential projects like borewell installations, she said.

Expressing her anguish, the minister reminded the L-G that the Chief Minister had given clear directions and a roadmap for improving water supply in Delhi, but despite repeated instructions from the Water Minister to the CEO of the Delhi Jal Board and the CS, no action was taken to prevent the impending water crisis.

The minister said the negligence of the DJB officers led to water crises and consequently the woman’s death. “This negligence is criminal and demands immediate and exemplary action against the highest-ranking DJB officers,” she said. “As of April 3, directions were given to the CS regarding ensuring adequate water supply during the summers, requesting an action report from the DJB. Despite this, on April 4, the CEO of the DJB refused to provide information, making an excuse for the Model Code of Conduct,” Atishi wrote in her letter.

“The non-release of funds by the Finance Department, has brought DJB to a standstill for the last eight to ten months, this has been artificially created by senior officers of GNCTD,” she added.