Lieutenant-Governor raises concerns over collapse of city’s civic infra this monsoon

Tribune News Service

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New Delhi, August 19

In the light of several fatalities due to the monsoons in the Capital, principal secretary (PS) to Lieutenant Governor, Ashish Kundra, issued a formal directive to Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar for an urgent need of systematic overview of public facilities in Delhi.

The directive, approved by L-G VK Saxena said, “The L-G has observed that this monsoon has seen the complete collapse of civic infrastructure, leading to unfortunate and avoidable deaths of citizens.”

Saxena pointed out the long-standing issues of choked sewer lines, undesilted drains and ineffective management across various civic agencies, suggesting a “complete senior management oversight.”

The directive calls for the institutionalisation of regular inspections by senior officials, ensuring that they gain a first-hand understanding of the challenges faced by the public.

“It would help them obtain a first-hand feel of the core problems being faced by citizens and take corrective policy/regulatory measures,” Kundra said in the letter.

Citing the Delhi High Court’s observations, he said the court had also taken a serious note in the matter of desilting of drains.

“In Delhi, the major stormwater drains of about 3,740.31 km are managed by various agencies like the Public Works Department, Irrigation and Flood Control Department (I&FC Department), Municipal Corporation of Delhi, New Delhi Municipal Council, Delhi Development Authority, Delhi State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation and Cantonment Board, etc. Management of drain(s) by multiple agencies leads to blame game... It also makes it difficult to fix responsibility on the erring officials, and the brunt of the resultant chaos is borne by the State and its citizens,” the court had observed.

The PS outlined a detailed schedule of field inspections, mandating that heads of departments (HoDs), Secretaries, principal secretaries and additional chief secretaries conduct regular visits to facilities under their charge. Secretaries and principal secretaries are required to conduct fortnightly inspections, while HoDs must conduct weekly inspections.

These visits are expected to be thorough, covering all assets and areas under their jurisdiction, with inspection notes submitted to the Chief Secretary and L-G Secretariat, accompanied by geo-tagged ‘before’ and ‘after’ pictures of the sites.

Additionally, District Magistrates (DMs) and their subordinates are tasked with bi-weekly inspections focusing on critical public services such as road infrastructure, drainage, sewage management, education, and transport.

The inspections are to be carried out in a wide range of settlements, including rural, urban, planned areas, JJ colonies and unauthorised colonies.

The DMs are also expected to engage with Resident Welfare Associations (RWAs) monthly to address local concerns.

The directive mandates that inspection notes be factored into the Annual Performance Appraisal Reports (APAR) of officers, ensuring accountability.

Resolve sewer overflow: Atishi to CS

New Delhi: Water Minister Atishi on Monday directed Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar to instruct senior IAS officers to resolve sewer overflow issues in the Capital. In a note to Kumar later, Atishi said she had been receiving complaints regarding sewer overflow from many parts of the city.