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Bhisham Sharma is new vice-chief of Jal Board

Staff Reporter

Speaker Prem Singh `rejects' Chief Minister's `candidate' Anjali Rai

CHECKMATE: Chaudhary Prem Singh being greeted by Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit as the former Delhi Lieutenant-Governor Vijai Kapoor looks on. File Photo

NEW DELHI: The Delhi Government has re-constituted the Delhi Jal Board with senior dissident Congress MLA from Ghonda, Bhisham Sharma, being nominated as Vice-Chairman replacing the Paharganj MLA, Anjali Rai. Nationalist Congress Party MLA Ramvir Singh Bidhuri has been re-nominated to the Board along with the Model Town MLA, Kanwar Karan Singh.

According to highly placed sources, the Delhi Assembly Speaker, Chaudhary Prem Singh, on Wednesday cleared the file pertaining to re-constitution of the Jal Board. Mr. Singh, who is empowered under the Delhi Jal Board Act, 1998, to nominate members to the Board, is understood to have rejected Ms. Rai's candidature proposed by Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, who is also the Chairperson of the Jal Board. Ms. Rai failed to secure a second tenure as Vice-Chairperson of the Jal Board.

Interestingly, Mr. Bidhuri, who was a constant source of "distraction" for the Chief Minister at the Jal Board meetings, was also given the go-ahead by Mr. Prem Singh. It is learnt that Mr. Prem Singh had recently met Congress president Sonia Gandhi and also the AICC general secretary in charge of Delhi affairs, Ashok Gehlot, and had got their approval for re-constitution of the Jal Board as well as constituting new Vidhan Sabha committees.

All the members along with the Vice-Chairperson will have a two-year tenure in the Jal Board. The nomination of Mr. Sharma, an arch-rival of the Chief Minister, is likely to further sour the relationship between Ms. Dikshit and Mr. Prem Singh. Similarly, the decision to re-nominate Mr. Bidhuri is not going to be to the liking of the Chief Minister. Officials in the Jal Board said Mr. Bidhuri was one of the most vocal members and had opposed many controversial contracts and deals during the Board meetings. Known to be a man of integrity opposed to the tender mafia, Mr. Bidhuri had forced the Board to cancel the single-tender allotment procedure in many cases and made things difficult for the Chief Minister. However, Ms. Dikshit managed to get a re-nomination for her loyalist MLA, Karan Singh.

"I have only preliminary knowledge about this decision. Everything will be clear after issuance of a notification. I will not stall development or create unnecessary obstacles but will abide by the directions of Congress president Sonia Gandhi to check wrongdoing and corruption in Government departments. My duty will be to ensure that everything is transparent and above board," said Mr. Bhisham Sharma.

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