The Hindu : New Delhi News : “Delhi Jal Board marred by irregularities, scams”

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Thursday, Nov 27, 2008
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“Delhi Jal Board marred by irregularities, scams”

Staff Reporter

Consumers have been the worst sufferers: Malhotra

‘The population of Delhi needs about 950 million gallons of water daily’
‘The Jal Board has suffered a revenue loss of more than Rs.2000 crore’

NEW DELHI: Hot on the heels of the Delhi High Court reprimanding the Delhi Jal Board, the BJP Chief Ministerial candidate for Delhi, Vijay Kumar Malhotra, on Wednesday criticised the water utility for being “most wanting and defective”.

He lashed out at Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, who is chairperson of the Board, saying that during her stewardship the Jal Board had been marred by “irregularities and scams”.

“The consumers have been the worst sufferers. The population of Delhi needs about 950 million gallons of water daily, but the Delhi Government has not been able to supply the requisite quantity,” said Prof. Malhotra, adding, “Even from the depleted water supply, 40 per cent of water is misappropriated by the people which the Delhi Government claims is leakage.”

Referring to the Munka canal, he said Ms. Dikshit had assured in 2003 that the canal would be fortified but work on the remaining 22 km of this canal is pending.

Pointing out the delay in construction of the Renuka Dam, Prof. Malhotra said: “In May 1994 an agreement was signed among five States, according to which Delhi was to get 275 MGD water from the project, but because of the total inefficiency of the Delhi administration this project too has not taken off.”

Prof. Malhotra asserted that during the ten years of Congress rule in Delhi the Jal Board had suffered a revenue loss of more than Rs.2000 crore. “More than 16 lakh consumers are slapped with water bills without meter reading and it leads to corruption on the part of the Jal Board staff. In addition, due to defective meters, Rs.175 crore is being lost per annum.”

The BJP candidate from New Delhi, Vijay Jolly, said: “The High Court’s censuring of the Jal Board has come as a vindication of the BJP’s charges of inefficiency, mismanagement and corruption in the Jal Board”.

CBI probe

Mr. Jolly had on January 11 this year demanded a CBI probe into the Jal Board sewer scam amounting to Rs.20 crore. He had also called for cancellation of the entire tender process on account of grave violations and flouting of all rules by the tendering firms.

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