Delhi LG directs early repair, restoration of breached Munak Canal sub-branch; AAP reacts

New Delhi, Jul 11 (PTI) Taking a serious note of the breach in a sub-branch of the Munak Canal, which is the only source of water to Dwarka treatment plant, Delhi LG V K Saxena on Thursday advised the chief secretary to take up the matter with Delhi ministers to ensure that the channel is restored at the earliest.

The LG said the unlined segment of the canal should also be taken up for lining on priority to avoid breaches and water losses, according to an official statement from the Raj Niwas.

The ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) reacted sharply to the statement issued by the Raj Niwas. It also issued a statement censuring Saxena.

"The Lieutenant Governor (LG) is not 'Satyawadi Harishchandra'. If he writes something, we ought not to believe as if the court has given its verdict. He is not our school principal.

"The LG often writes misleading things in his letters, we have seen this many times, and we have also written back to him that he has written misrepresented facts. For example, I held a meeting on heat wave and LG wrote a letter saying that we did not hold any meeting on heat wave. The LG has been misleading many times in his letters," the AAP statement said.

Meanwhile Saxena has advised the chief secretary to discuss the issue with Delhi Water Minister Atishi and Flood Control Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj so that it is taken up with the Haryana authorities at the appropriate level.

The LG has directed that the CEO of Delhi Jal Board (DJB) be asked to immediately reach the spot along with his team of engineers and coordinate with the Haryana government authorities to ensure restoration of Munak Canal at the earliest.

He has also directed that teams of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) be immediately asked to evacuate the affected people from the area.

The Irrigation and Flood Control Department should deploy pumps to drain out water at the earliest and provide additional boats to the NDRF as required, he has directed.

The LG has directed to ask the Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB) to provide adequate arrangements for relief and rehabilitation measures and make available basic minimum services including shelter.

Furthermore, the Disaster Management Cell of the Revenue Department may be asked to provide relief according to norms and the area district magistrate should deploy a team of executive magistrates to coordinate relief and rescue operations, he directed, adding that local public announcements may be made to make people aware of the arrangements, the statement said.

He has also directed to ask the Health Department to ensure that medical teams are in place to address any exigencies and medical emergency.

The Career Lined Channel (CLC) sub-branch of the Munak Canal, which provides around 36.7 per cent of water (719 cusecs) to Delhi, breached in the early hours of Thursday in JJ Cluster of Delhi's Bawana and inundated areas around it.

"The breach in the Munak Canal underlines the absence of adequate maintenance of the Canal, which should have be undertaken by Delhi Jal Board through Haryana Irrigation Department from time to time," the statement said.

Water in huge volume flowing out from the breached canal has caused flooding and inundated several residential areas in the locality as also the JJ Cluster in Bawana. Thousands of households have been impacted, several families have been displaced and it has created general havoc, the statement added.

The CLC canal is the only source of water supply to Dwarka water treatment plant and its rupture is bound to cause disruption in water supply to that area, the statement stated. PTI COR SJJ VIT SJJ KSS KSS