BJP says Delhi govt ‘suppressed’ file on DJB irregularities
Delhi opposition leader Vijender Gupta accused the Delhi government of hiding a report on DJB's financial irregularities. AAP claims BJP is misleading and blocking funds.
Leader of the Opposition in Delhi assembly Vijender Gupta on Wednesday accused the Delhi government of suppressing a report on the alleged “financial irregularities” in the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) by chief secretary Naresh Kumar.
The BJP leader demanded an investigation by the chief vigilance commissioner into this matter.
“Due to rampant corruption in the Delhi government, the balance sheets of DJB for the years 2021-22 and 2022-23 have not been prepared, which has prevented the CAG (Comptroller and Auditor General of India) from conducting an audit,” Gupta said in a press conference held at the Delhi BJP office in Pant Marg.
“A report exposing the irregularities of DJB was presented by chief secretary on March 15. The report was demanded by the Delhi assembly. But instead of presenting this report in the House, it was kept hidden in the files. If a report was requested from the chief secretary through the assembly, and he provided it to the minister, then as per rules, why was a copy of this report not given to the opposition MLAs? The reason is clear: the government wanted to hide its corruption and malpractices,” said Gupta, who was joined by BJP MLAs.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) issued a statement in response to the allegations saying, “All balance sheets are ready. The BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) is deliberately misleading and evading critical issues, using dirty politics to conspire with officers to block the release of funds.”
The Delhi government is revenue-surplus, with no shortage of funds. It has allocated more than ₹7,000 crore to DJB. Yet, after taking control of ”Services” under the GNCTD Act, the BJP has directed officers to withhold funds, the statement added.
“The BJP is deliberately creating an artificial crisis in DJB. Why such hatred towards the people of Delhi? They block the old pension scheme one day and halt funds for sewer and pipeline projects the next. Till now, the people of Delhi had given eight seats to BJP, but this time seeing their negative politics, BJP’s security deposit will also be forfeited,” it said.
DJB is responsible for the production and distribution of potable water in the city. It is also responsible for collection, treatment and disposal of waste water and sewage in the Capital. It has been at the centre of a confrontation between the AAP and the BJP over the overflowing of sewer lines recently, as well as allocation of funds in the past.
The AAP has alleged that the funds sanctioned in the budget and approved by every one concerned are not being released to DJB, thereby affecting its performance.
Gupta alleged that DJB is unable to use the funds allocated to it. “Water minister Atishi often complains about not receiving funds. But the reality is that DJB is not utilising the funds allocated to it in the budget. From 2015-16 till now, DJB has been given ₹28,400 crore, but no one knows where and for what purposes such a huge amount has been utilised.
The Delhi government has been regularly informed by DJB about the board’s inability to repay the debt of ₹73,000 crore, but the government has remained inactive and has not taken any effective steps to repay or reduce this debt,” Gupta said.