Minister Blames Chief Secretary for Drain Desilting Negligence

Delhi Urban Development Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj accused Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar of evading responsibilities regarding drain desilting, leading to waterlogging issues and fatalities. Despite multiple requests for action, Bharadwaj claimed Kumar and other officials were unresponsive, misleading, and involved in corruption, causing significant public safety risks.

Delhi Urban Development Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj accused Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar of failing to address the city's drain desilting requirements adequately. Speaking at a press conference, Bharadwaj detailed his efforts to engage multiple city departments since February, which were met with non-responsiveness and evasion from Kumar.

Bharadwaj expressed concerns over the recent rain-induced flooding that resulted in the deaths of three civil service aspirants, attributing these tragedies to the negligence of city officials. Efforts to arrange inter-departmental meetings to discuss comprehensive waterlogging strategies were ignored, with senior officials absent, leaving junior engineers to attend.

The minister revealed that his persistent requests for action were met with dismissive responses from Kumar, who he accused of providing misleading reports to the High Court and indulging in corrupt practices. Bharadwaj also criticized the extensions given to Kumar by the Centre, highlighting ongoing systemic issues and calling for urgent accountability and transparency.