Delhi chief secretary accuses AAP minister of delaying waterlogging legislation
Delhi Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar has said that several recommendations by a committee of senior IAS officers after the 2023 floods were still pending with Saurabh Bharadwaj, the minister in charge of the irrigation and flood control department. Kumar made the remark in his report Minister Atishi on the deaths of three UPSC aspirants in the flooded basement of a coaching center. The official also accused Rau's IAS Study Circle, Old Rajinder Nagar of encroachment in his report.
Meeting convened to devise anti-flooding strategy
According to Kumar, a meeting was convened to devise a comprehensive strategy against flooding following heavy rainfall that resulted in city-wide waterlogging last year. The meeting identified the need for consolidated drainage management in Delhi for 18 years and stressed the requirement of a Storm Water and Drainage Act with penal provisions for encroachment and waste dumping into drains. A Master Drainage Plan for Delhi was also proposed during this meeting.
Chief Secretary criticizes inaction on proposed drainage plans
However, the Irrigation and Flood Control Department has yet to decide on implementing a Storm Water and Drainage Act, Chief Secretary Kumar alleged. He also noted that an IIT Delhi report proposing a Master Drainage Plan was not accepted by the AAP government. Instead, it was decided to prepare three separate drainage plans, but no significant progress has been made so far.
Rajinder Nagar incident highlights drainage system failures
Regarding the Rajinder Nagar incident, Kumar referred to a Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) probe. The investigation found that construction of ramps in violation of norms blocked drain entries, making cleaning impossible. Consequently, heavy rain led to water accumulation on roads near coaching centers, moving toward parking areas and basements. At Rau's IAS Study Circle where the tragedy occurred, the drainage system was completely blocked with no safeguards in place.
