Delhi Water Crisis: BJP vs AAP Over Wastage and Tanker Mafia

The Delhi BJP has accused the AAP government of mishandling the water crisis and aiding the tanker mafia, worsening the situation for city residents. Water Minister Atishi's defensive strategies and failure to prevent wastage have been criticized. The Supreme Court has directed the Delhi government to seek additional water supply from the Upper Yamuna River Board.

The Delhi BJP on Thursday intensified its attack on the AAP government, blaming it for the ongoing water crisis in the national capital. The party accused the administration of failing to curb water wastage and misleading citizens on the issue.

Speaking at a press conference, Delhi BJP secretary and New Delhi MP Bansuri Swaraj pointed out that due to the water shortage, residents are being extorted by the tanker mafia.

Earlier, law enforcement began patrolling the Munak canal area to monitor the activities of the tanker mafia. Water Minister Atishi also inspected the pipeline network serving south Delhi residents.

Atishi asserted in a post on X that additional district magistrates and sub-divisional magistrates are patrolling the city to ensure no water is wasted due to pipeline leakages.

However, Swaraj criticized Atishi's efforts, accusing her of protecting the tanker mafia rather than taking action. 'Atishi says that even if the tanker mafia is stopped, not much water would be saved. This is very unfortunate because people facing water shortages are being fleeced by the tanker mafia,' she stated.

The BJP leader further condemned the AAP government for its alleged failure to prevent water wastage and for misleading the public.

Swaraj challenged the AAP government and Atishi to step out of their air-conditioned conference rooms and witness the people's suffering firsthand.

She noted that despite Atishi's letter to Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena demanding a probe into alleged collusion between senior officers and the tanker mafia, the Supreme Court had already censured the Delhi government on this issue.

In a crucial development, the Supreme Court directed the Delhi government to submit an application to the Upper Yamuna River Board (UYRB) by 5 pm, seeking water supply on humanitarian grounds, as Himachal Pradesh declared it had no surplus water to offer.