BJP lashes out at AAP govt over water crisis in Delhi

A Delhi Jal Board meeting was deferred after BJP members vociferously protested over the AAP government's alleged failure to deal with the "worsening" water crisis in the city.

Rejecting the charge, DJB Vice Chairman and AAP MLA Dinesh Mohania said the meeting was deferred because the members complained that the agenda was circulated late and they did not have enough time to go through it.

"The chief minister took to task the DJB officials for circulating the agenda on Saturday night, while the meeting was scheduled on Monday. The members did not find enough time to go through the voluminous agenda which ran into over 300 pages," Mohania said.

DJB member and BJP councillor from Sadar Bazar Jai Prakash claimed that the meeting lead into commotion. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was also present at the meeting.

The board will meet again at 11 am on Wednesday, DJB sources said.

Several areas in the national capital every summer face water crisis.

"It's peak summer and the government has no plan to tackle the worsening water crisis in areas such as Kirari, Sangam Vihar, Chandni Chowk and localities across the Yamuna river. They (AAP government) have been saying these areas will get water, but nothing has happened so far," Prakash said.

"At a meeting held earlier, we had also brought to their notice leakages in drinking water pipelines at more than a 100 places in Delhi. If they plug these leakages, a lot of water can be saved and given to those who need it," he said.

Satpal Malik, another BJP councillor and member of the DJB, said his party was demanding action against officials for allegedly giving tenders to black-listed firms.

Prakash said the BJP is seeking to corner the AAP government on the issue at the meeting on Wednesday.