Sharma Chandigarh, Mar 6: Lt Governor V K Saxena on Wednesday flagged the poor conditions in which people are living in a colony in Shahdara in north-east Delhi, a day after he drew Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s attention to similar problems in other areas of the national capital. In a statement, the Delhi government accused the LG of playing politics over the issue and said Kejriwal has directed Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar to address the issues raised by him.
Saxena shared pictures of his visit to Kalandar Colony in Shahdara on microblogging site X and said the people are living in “pathetic conditions”. Replying to the LG’s post on Tuesday, Kejriwal had hit back saying Saxena is “playing the role of the opposition” despite holding a constitutional post.
Taking to X on Wednesday, the LG told Kejriwal that it was his constitutional duty to draw the chief minister’s attention to the problems being faced by the people and expressed the hope that the chief minister will show “positivity”.
“Dear @ArvindKejriwal sir, being the Lieutenant Governor of Delhi, it is my constitutional responsibility and duty to highlight the issues of the people before the Chief Minister of my government and draw your attention towards the problems being faced by the people of Delhi.
“This is nothing new. From the first day of taking charge till today, I have walked more than 1600 km in different areas of Delhi in 650 days and took stock of the situation and always kept you informed about the problems. I have been doing this for the last one and a half years and will continue to do so in future also,” he said in his post in Hindi.
The lieutenant governor earlier slammed the city government for “depriving” the people of basic public facilities after he visited Sangam Vihar, Kirari and Burari areas. Posting about his visit, he said, “Yesterday evening, in this connection, I went to Kalandar Colony in Shahdara, North-East Delhi and saw the condition worse than hell.
“It is not possible to express in words the plight of the people living amidst potholes, clogged drains, heaps of garbage and foul smell in the name of roads. Local people said that 35,000 to 40,000 people live a hellish life in about four thousand houses here.
He further said it is the responsibility of Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB), of which Kejriwal himself is the chairman, to provide basic public facilities in this slum, and cleanliness is under the MCD. The Delhi government, in a statement, requested Saxena to take action against the erring officers.
“It is unfortunate that LG is playing dirty politics with the problems of the common people of Delhi. Yesterday, when he raised certain issues about Sangam Vihar, Burari and Kirari, CM, in good faith directed CS to immediately solve the problems within a week.
“CM also urged LG to take strictest action against delinquent officers because their vigilance and disciplinary matters are within the jurisdiction of LG. It’s been more than 24 hours. LG has not taken any action against guilty officers,” their statement read. In the statement, they alleged that the Lt Governor is “encouraging and forcing officers not to do their work” so that he can blame Kejriwal.
“LG should stop playing dirty politics. People are not fools. They can see through LG’s drama. In any case, Chief Minister has directed Chief Secretary to address all the new issues raised by LG today,” the statement added. (PTI)
