Delhi water crisis: Amid continuous water and power crises in Delhi, state minister Atishi and AAP MP Raghav Chadha met Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in the Tihar jail today (June 13). The Chief Minister directed them to take measures to curb the problems as soon as possible.
Notably, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convener is lodged in Tihar jail's number 2 in the excise policy-linked money laundering case.
Kejriwal asked about electricity and water supply issues
"Today I met Kejriwal ji, who is lodged in Tihar jail in a fake case by the central government. But, he still worries about the people of Delhi, more than himself. He inquired about the issues related to the power and water and he told me that he watched the water crisis in Delhi on television in Tihar," Atishi told media outside the Tihar jail.
Atishi further said that the Chief Minister has directed them to take all necessary steps and arrangements that could be made to overcome the water crisis as soon as possible. "He has directed all the AAP legislators to go on the ground and take all possible steps to provide water to the people in their areas," she added.
She said that Kejriwal also inquired about the power crisis in Delhi which happened due to a fire incident in Uttar Pradesh two days ago. "He told us to hold the meetings with the concerned department officials to prevent the power crisis from happening in the future," she said.
According to Tihar sources, both Atishi and Chadha met Kejriwal for half-an-hour in the visitor's room (Mulakati Jangla) in Tihar. On Wednesday, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and Kejriwal's wife Sunita visited him in Tihar.
Delhi water crisis
Several parts of Delhi are grappling with an acute water shortage amidst an unprecedented summer heatwave. The crisis is attributed to reduced water levels in the Yamuna River and technical issues at major water treatment plants. Consequently, numerous areas are experiencing minimal to no water supply, compelling residents to depend on tankers and borewells.
The Supreme Court on Thursday directed the Delhi government to approach the Upper Yamuna River Board (UYRB) for water supply as Himachal Pradesh took a U-turn and told the top court that it did not have surplus water to spare.
The court asked the Delhi government to submit an application to the UYRB by 5 pm seeking supply of water to the national capital on humanitarian grounds.
On Thursday, police began patrolling the Munak canal area to check the activities of the tanker mafia and Water Minister Atishi inspected a pipeline network supplying water to south Delhi residents.
Earlier on Wednesday, Delhi Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena directed the city police chief to ensure a strict vigil along the Munak Canal to prevent the theft of water and sought an action taken report within the week.
(With PTI inputs)
