WITH summer at its peak there is acute water scarcity in Delhi. The total demand for water in the national capital is 1020 MGD but the availability is only 845 MGD. There are seven water treatment plants, but they have failed to meet the burgeoning demand.
Delhi Jal Board (DJB) is being held responsible for this crisis. The tankers supplied by it are also not provided for many days. There are areas where only one tanker is provided for three-four days. Some areas regularly witness the wastage of water through these very DJB’s tankers. Local people have complained about this wastage water but there is no action on the part of the authorities concerned.
Meanwhile, the Chief Minister of Delhi Sheila Dikshit has directed the DJB engineers to plug leakages and indentify gaps in the supply to prevent wastage. “I met the Prime Minister recently and made him aware of the issue, though I have not yet gone to him officially seeking his intervention. We will first do everything to resolve the problem. A strategy is being devised with this goal in mind,” she said.
Bharatiya Janata Party leaders are burning midnight oil to expose the Congress government on this front. The party staged a demonstration at Jantar Mantar on June 22 and after that the party workers marched to Prime Minister’s Residence.
The decades long differences between Delhi and Haryana on this issue are still unresolved. Haryana says that efficient water is being supplied to Delhi. It also claimed that the water treatment plant in Haidarpur with capacity of 425 cusec got 425 cusec of water and the plant at Wazirabad with the capacity of 210 MGD also got 210 MGD water.
The BJP held the Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit responsible for the shortage of water because she failed to take adequate and timely steps. The party with the help of Residents Welfare Assocaitons (RWAs) is soon going to launch a pani andolan against the Chief Minister. But Delhi can avert the water crisis only if the civic bodies provide help to the RWAs in setting up rainwater harvesting systems. The RWAs say they need Government help to construct this system and also the permission of DJB. They alleged that the DJB officials seem to be reluctant to their proposals.
DJB fined for harassing consumers
Delhi Jal Board was ordered to pay fine of Rs 8000 to Najafgarh residents for its failure to supply water. The order was passed by Delhi State Consumer Commission because the DJB harassed the consumers.
The DJB had appealed to write off the compensation of Rs 5000 and litigation charge of Rs 3000 but a bench of the Commission comprising of its Chairman Justice Shri BA Zaidi and Member Shri VK Gupta dismissed the appeal saying that the proper drinking water facility is not provided to the villagers.
It may be noted that the harassment of a common man by public authorities is socially abhorrent and legally impermissible, the Commission said. A resident of Khera village said the DJB was not supplying sufficient water but the imposition of fine would neither cure the evil nor it would satisfy any individual.
Rain won’t trouble this year
PWD Minister of Delhi Rajkumar Chauhan assured Delhiites that Monsoon this year would not trouble them. They do not have to bother about logged roads thus unending traffic jams. The Minister said the government has made sufficient plans to repair all the roads of Delhi to avoid water logging before June 30. In Delhi, 126 locations are prone to water logging during rains in Monsoon and the water blockage are caused due to two major reasons—first broken roads and second blocked drains.
According to the Minister, the PWD is currently looking after 745 km of roads which are 60 feet wide. The Department will also maintain proper drainage system. The repair work of damaged roads and potholes is in full swing, but some of the major drains can only be repaired after the monsoon is over, said an official.
The PWD has taken the charge of repairing the drains for the first time as earlier the MCD was doing it. Special water pumps and additional manpower have been hired to drain out water from underpass. The special concern is on the areas like ITO and Dhaula Kuan as huge water logging caused there last year. PWD has also asked for extra traffic police force to smoothen the traffic during monsoon.
Children rescued on World Day against Child Labour
On the occasion of World Day against Child Labour on June 12 children were rescued from industries in North-East Delhi. A total of 19 children were involved in zari work, stitching and 7 were working in metal units. 13 employers have also been arrested and 4 establishments were sealed on the basis of a complaint filed by an organisation ‘Bacha Bachao Andolan’. The rescued children belonged to the age group of 8-13 years.
DU makes admission process easier for North-east students
This year the students of north campus have provided special facility to the students from north-eastern states seeking admissions in Delhi University. A student, Janif, said he had to face many difficulties while seeking admission in the University last year, so he decided to help each and every student of his region now. Usually, the outsiders have same problems and queries regarding the application forms and how to fill the form, what are the various procedures to submit the forms, etc. He added that the students from outside the state didn’t even ask for help from Delhities because they feel disgraced of making fun of themselves since they speak differently.
Delhi University has an organisation, BODOLAND, to help north-eastern students and to counsel them about the topography and the courses of Delhi University. This organisation tells them about the various colleges and campus in which they can seek admission according to their choice. A girl along with her grandfather and mother told us how some nice students help them when she would have been moving around like fools. They helped them and she got admission in St. Stephen’s College.
Jamir is very happy with the additional quota also. This organisation and these students really helped them about the queries and problems of admissions and make them aware about the sports quota and about every curricular activity because north-east people are really good at sports and other activities.
5/14 lesser holidays in 2013, blame weekends
As per calendar year 2013, 5 out of 14 gazetted holidays are on Saturdays and Sundays, even Diwali and Dussehra are on Sundays. As per the calendar, 6 holidays are on Wednesdays, 2 on Thursdays, 4 on Fridays, and 5 are on weekdays i.e. Saturdays and Sundays. In India, unlike USA, where compensatory holidays are given to citizens, Indians will only be given 9 gazetted holidays, apart from 3 more depending on the part of the country they work.
Ajay-Kajol to do a film on female foeticide
Actor couple Ajay Deogan-Kajol will be seen together in a short film on female feticide being as a part of Maharashtra Government’s initiative to curb the menace.
The actor couple, who has a nine year old daughter, Nysa, has associated themselves with Maharashtra Government. Campaigning against female feticide and making film on the issue. “We are working on the script,” said the couple. Ajay-Kajol will both be the part of the film. They believe that the film would help and contribute in removing female feticide from Maharashtra.
(Contributed by Pooja Jain, Shweta Sharma & Srishti Jain)
