.In the midst of an intense heatwave, Delhi grapples with an acute water shortage, Devender Yadav, interim president, Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee, wrote a letter to seek intervention from Lt. Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena. Yadav’s letter accuses the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) and Delhi Police of inaction against rampant water theft, allegedly facilitated by the “Tanker Mafia” in collusion with ruling party politicians.
In this letter, Yadav also talked of newspaper reports about AAP MLA from Deoli Prakash Jarwal taking an alleged bribe of Rs 60 lakh monthly from the water tanker owners. He said that about 20 water tanker owners reported to have come forward claiming that Jarwal had asked them for money, and four of them recorded their statements before a maginstrate stating that they had paid him Rs 20,000 each to clear their file and Rs 500 for each round of supply. It may be recalled that a water tanker owner, Dr Rajender Singh, had committed suicide a few years ago due to alleged harassment by Jarwal even after making a payment of Rs 10 lakh bribe to him.
While Congress workers have engaged in non-violent protests to draw attention to the crisis, contrasting reports suggest BJP demonstrations turned violent.
Yadav calls on the Lt. Governor for decisive action against those exacerbating the water scarcity and for a collaborative effort to manage the crisis effectively.
