New Delhi: Lieutenant governor VK Saxena has asked various govt departments and agencies to draw up a detailed plan of action to resolve long-standing problems faced by the residents of unauthorised colonies in northwest Delhi’s Kirari.
Visiting Kirari on Saturday following repeated requests by residents, Raj Niwas officials said that Saxena “expressed shock” at the “pathetic state” of basic civic infrastructure and lack of sanitation prevailing in the area and asked MCD to launch a special cleanliness drive to achieve visible results within a month.
Officials said Saxena visited various locations in Kirari, which were prone to severe waterlogging and were filled with heaps of garbage, forcing the residents to live in unhygienic conditions.
“Shocked and anguished over the hellish condition that residents of these areas are forced to live in, the LG directed the MCD and other concerned agencies to take immediate steps to improve sanitation in the area within a month. The LG was visibly peeved at the overflowing sewers, open manholes, heaps of garbage, potholed-dusty roads and broken pavements in the area,” said a Raj Niwas official.
“He lamented that such apathy on part of the govt agencies had led to the pathetic conditions due to which Kirari, which houses nearly 1.5 lakh households and a population of 7-8 lakhs, has remained one of the most underdeveloped parts of the national capital,” the official added.
Since a major part of Kirari was low-lying, officials said it was prone to waterlogging, and the absence of sewerage system and lack of adequate stormwater drainage system aggravated the unhygienic conditions, Saxena was told.
The LG observed that no concrete efforts had been undertaken by Delhi Jal Board and irrigation and flood control department to address these issues, said an official. Similarly, Public Works Department and MCD had largely left the roads in disrepair and the civic agency neglected the garbage disposal, he added.
“The LG has also asked DDA to chalk out a comprehensive drainage plan while other agencies were directed to remodel the existing drains to address the issue of waterlogging,” the official said, adding Saxena will soon visit other unauthorised colonies in the capital.
Kirari MLA Rituraj Jha said the photos shared by LG on ‘X’ were from the nearby Rithala Metro Station. “The LG is not well-versed with the area, since he might be visiting for the first time. The roads in LG’s tweet are DDA roads. The LG is aware that the completion of the work of projects is imminent and seeks to claim credit by falsely attributing it to his directives. The reality is that all projects were already initiated by CM Arvind Kejriwal,” the AAP legislator said.
With the commissioning of sewer lines in three months, 70% problems of the area will be resolved, Jha said, adding, “Because of the absence of a drainage system, waterlogging is happening. As soon as the drainage system is commissioned, there won’t be any waterlogging”.
Visiting Kirari on Saturday following repeated requests by residents, Raj Niwas officials said that Saxena “expressed shock” at the “pathetic state” of basic civic infrastructure and lack of sanitation prevailing in the area and asked MCD to launch a special cleanliness drive to achieve visible results within a month.
Officials said Saxena visited various locations in Kirari, which were prone to severe waterlogging and were filled with heaps of garbage, forcing the residents to live in unhygienic conditions.
“Shocked and anguished over the hellish condition that residents of these areas are forced to live in, the LG directed the MCD and other concerned agencies to take immediate steps to improve sanitation in the area within a month. The LG was visibly peeved at the overflowing sewers, open manholes, heaps of garbage, potholed-dusty roads and broken pavements in the area,” said a Raj Niwas official.
“He lamented that such apathy on part of the govt agencies had led to the pathetic conditions due to which Kirari, which houses nearly 1.5 lakh households and a population of 7-8 lakhs, has remained one of the most underdeveloped parts of the national capital,” the official added.
Since a major part of Kirari was low-lying, officials said it was prone to waterlogging, and the absence of sewerage system and lack of adequate stormwater drainage system aggravated the unhygienic conditions, Saxena was told.
The LG observed that no concrete efforts had been undertaken by Delhi Jal Board and irrigation and flood control department to address these issues, said an official. Similarly, Public Works Department and MCD had largely left the roads in disrepair and the civic agency neglected the garbage disposal, he added.
“The LG has also asked DDA to chalk out a comprehensive drainage plan while other agencies were directed to remodel the existing drains to address the issue of waterlogging,” the official said, adding Saxena will soon visit other unauthorised colonies in the capital.
Kirari MLA Rituraj Jha said the photos shared by LG on ‘X’ were from the nearby Rithala Metro Station. “The LG is not well-versed with the area, since he might be visiting for the first time. The roads in LG’s tweet are DDA roads. The LG is aware that the completion of the work of projects is imminent and seeks to claim credit by falsely attributing it to his directives. The reality is that all projects were already initiated by CM Arvind Kejriwal,” the AAP legislator said.
With the commissioning of sewer lines in three months, 70% problems of the area will be resolved, Jha said, adding, “Because of the absence of a drainage system, waterlogging is happening. As soon as the drainage system is commissioned, there won’t be any waterlogging”.