Delhi’s Water Minister Parvesh Verma on Friday made a series of announcements in the assembly while addressing the capital’s water crisis, the issue of bore well sealing, problems in unauthorized colonies, and the failures of the previous government.
The minister informed that while bore wells are being sealed in compliance with NGT guidelines, the government is soon bringing a clear and practical policy for their regularization.
The Minister emphasized, “The current situation in Delhi is a result of 11 years of negligence. Abruptly shutting all bore wells is not practical. Action is ongoing against those selling water from bore wells. An enforcement team is being formed to monitor commercial establishments like hotels and impose penalties where necessary.”
The minister also highlighted the water crisis and pipeline leakage in Sangam Vihar area, saying that a Rs 7 crore pipeline project was executed in the area, but due to leakage, the line never became operational.
Now, officials are seeking an additional Rs 4 crore to repair it, which is an example of the sheer negligence of the previous administration, he added.
Verma further criticized the former government for not integrating unauthorized colonies into the master plan, accusing them of allowing these colonies to expand for political gain and vote bank politics.
The Minister raised serious concerns about water loss as well, and stated, “Eleven years ago, Delhi had a water loss rate of 30 per cent, which has now increased to 40per cent. If we bring this down to 10 per cent, Delhi will no longer face any water shortage,” he claimed.
He also revealed that the Asian Development Bank (ADB) had refused to fund water projects under the previous government due to a 6 per cent commission demand, adding that, “Within just a week of our government taking charge, the ADB reinitiated talks and expressed willingness to cooperate,” Verma stated.
Mentioning about the works done by the current regime in a short time span, he shared that 15 kilometers of new pipelines have been laid and 58 kilometers of old lines have been replaced in the past few months, while many areas where pipelines had stopped functioning have now been reconnected.
Verma assured that the government will work in every constituency regardless of the MLA’s party affiliation.