Page 3 - Delhi Jal Board

Delay in fund disbursal halted all works of Delhi Jal Board: Somnath Bharti

Delhi Jal Board vice-chairman Somnath Bharti Friday said all maintenance and developmental works of DJB have "come to a standstill" due to the delay in disbursal of funds from the finance secretary. In an interview with PTI, he said that since maintenance work happens every day and DJB contractors have gone on strike due to non-payment of dues, the work of the jal board has been "suffering". The Delhi Jal Board contractors association has been on strike since November 27 over non-payment of dues, with its general secretary Vinay Mangla claiming that around 1,150 contractors have halted their work until payments are made to everyone. Bharti said, "Multiple projects are underway and contractors haven't been paid since February. Maintenance work, including cleaning of contamination, and repairing or replacing pipelines, happens every other day in Delhi. All maintenance and developmental works of DJB have come to a standstill due to delay in disbursal of funds." He said that as a plea

Kejriwal directs audit of DJB by CAG amid allegations of financial bungling

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday said an audit of the Delhi Jal Board's records by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has been ordered to ascertain whether there has been any irregularity. Interacting with reporters, he warned that there could be a water and sewage crisis in Delhi in the coming days owing to the non-release of funds. A couple of weeks ago, Delhi Water Minister Atishi had claimed the national capital was staring at a 'man-made water crisis' due to the stoppage of funds to the Delhi Jal Board by the finance department and demanded Lt Governor V K Saxena's immediate intervention in the matter. Kejriwal, on Wednesday, said, "We have ordered a CAG audit of the last 15 years of records of the Delhi Jal Board. CAG is a third party and the biggest agency in the country. Things will become clearer now." "If someone has committed irregularities, they should be punished. If no irregularities have been committed, then those who level baseless allegations will

Delhi Jal Board contractors association on strike over non-payment of dues

The Delhi Jal Board contractors association went on a strike on Monday over non-payment of dues, hampering the work on projects related to water and sewage treatment plants. DJB vice chairman Somnath Bharti said water and sewage treatment plant projects and the Delhi government's RO plants project have been significantly affected due to the strike. He said there has been an impact on maintenance of projects along with contamination in the sewerage system, leading to grievance calls from across Delhi. "WTP and STP projects and even the Delhi government's RO plants project are significantly affected, with the agency struggling to cover running expenses," Bharti told PTI. Contractors association general secretary Vinay Mangla said that around 1,150 contractors will halt their work until dues are paid to everyone. "It is an open-ended strike and we are expecting it to go on for a week," he told PTI. The Delhi Jal Board Contractors Welfare Association had written to the additional chi

Water supply in Delhi to be affected on 2 days due to interconnection work

Water supply in several areas, including Rohini, will be affected from Wednesday to Thursday due to a shutdown for interconnection of the water main at the Keshopur drain and the Peeragarhi Chowk, the Delhi Jal Board said. Residents have been advised to store sufficient water according to requirement, and water tankers will be available on request, the board said in a post on X. "Due to shutdown for interconnection at Keshopur drain and Peeragarhi Chowk (Rohtak Road) from 10 am to 10 pm on November 29, the water supply in several colonies/areas will not be available/will be available at low pressure from the evening of November 29 to morning November 30," the DJB said. The affected areas are - Rohini Sector- 7, 8, 9, 11, 13, 22, 23 and 25, Madhuban chowk, Mangolpuri, Sultanpuri, Paschim Vihar, Major Bhupender Singh Nagar, Mahavir Nagar, Krishna Park, Janakpuri and their adjoining areas, it said.

Delhi Jal Board contractors threaten to stall work over non-payment of dues

Alleging non-payment of dues since February this year, a section of contractors working for the Delhi Jal Board has said they will stop ongoing projects from November 27. DJB Vice Chairman Somnath Bharti claimed despite repeated directions from the finance minister, the finance fepartment has not released funds for the last three months and he will reach out to the Lieutenant Governor seeking his intervention. The Delhi Jal Board Contractors Welfare Association has written to the Additional Chief Engineer mentioning that the workers will stop all the ongoing works due to nonpayment of dues. After detailed deliberations and finding no option, it was unanimously decided that all the ongoing works related to water leakages, water contamination, maintenance of water supply, settled sewerage system, maintenance of sewerage system, operation of tube wells and pumping stations, providing sewer beldars/engagement labours and de-silting work will be stopped from November 27, the letter ...

Meenakshi Lekhi alleges Rs 3,237 cr scam in Delhi Jal Board under AAP govt

Union Minister Meenakshi Lekhi on Saturday alleged a "scam" of Rs 3,237 crore in the Delhi Jal Board under the AAP government, citing various accounting-related irregularities since 2017. The AAP, however, fired back at the charges, saying, true to its nature, the BJP has again come up with a new way to "interrupt" the progress of Delhiites. "It doesn't go well with a Union minister making such fabricated insinuations against an 'honest' government devoted towards its people," the AAP said in a statement. In a joint press conference with the BJP's Delhi unit chief Virendra Sachdeva, Lekhi alleged that issuing of tenders was avoided for 12,000 work orders worth Rs 600 crore by keeping the value of each below Rs 5 lakh. Sachdeva said Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal should refer the "scam" to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for a probe. If he fails to do so, the BJP will urge the Lt Governor to do it, Sachdeva added. Lekhi said the AAP a

Delhi govt begins special audit of Jal Board amid agency's rising debt

The Delhi government has begun a special audit of the DJB amid the water works agency's rising debt and shrinking revenues, sources said on Tuesday. The Finance department of the Delhi government conducting the special audit will also look into alleged instances of fund diversion by the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) from capital heads to other works, they said. The audit will find out how a corpus of Rs 12, 712 crore provided in the last five years was utilised by the DJB even as its debt has soared to around Rs 70,000 crore from over Rs 26,000 crore in 2018, sources said. The DJB, apart from production and distribution of water and disposal of sewerage, also looks after Yamuna cleaning in the city. It is currently executing various projects worth Rs 18,000 crore, official sources said. They said it has come to knowledge that the DJB in the past diverted funds under capital heads to meet its pending bills for various projects. Out of Rs 1,557 crore provided to it this year for various work

Delhi govt to set up RO-ATMs in city locations dependent on water tankers

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday directed the installation of RO-ATMs at locations, besides JJ clusters, where water supply is provided by tankers, to eliminate the tanker culture in the national capital. He announced the decision in a meeting with Delhi Jal Board and Water Minister Saurabh Bhardwaj. In the meeting, the CM assessed the state of water supply in Delhi, RO-ATMs, Yamuna cleanliness, and the cleaning of the trunk and peripheral sewer systems happening for the first time in Delhi, said a government statement. Kejriwal requested a detailed plan from the DJB on the complete clean up of the Yamuna by June 2024. So far, RO plants have been installed in Hari Nagar's Khajan Basti, Shakurbasti, Deshbandhu Apartments in Kalkaji, and Jharoda, with 30 more RO plants in the process of being installed. There is a plan to install approximately 500 RO plants in Delhi. The results of these RO plants have been quite promising, and people have been provided with Water ATMs

ED conducts searches in Delhi Jal Board linked money laundering case

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has conducted searches in a money laundering case linked to alleged irregularities and siphoning of funds of the Delhi Jal Board (DJB), official sources said on Tuesday. The raids were carried out in the national capital on Monday at about 10 premises as part of the investigation being carried out under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The agency has collected some documents and records, the sources said. The ED probe is stated to be based on a November, 2022 FIR of the Delhi government's anti-corruption branch (ACB) for alleged embezzlement of Rs 20 crore funds from the DJB.

Delhi Jal Board spent Rs 1,011 cr under Yamuna Action Plan in 8 yrs

The Delhi Jal Board has said it received Rs 1,071.37 crore from the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) in the last eight years and spent Rs 1,011.67 crore under the Yamuna Action Plan - III during the period. In response to an RTI query, the DJB said it received another Rs 205 crore in funds from the NMCG in the last five years and spent all of it in expenditure under the Namami Gange Project. With the NMCG funds, nine major projects were taken up since 2015-16 and the most expensive among them was the construction of 564 MLD Sewerage Treatment Plant (STP) at Okhla under the Yamuna Action Plan III at a cost of Rs 431.40 crore, the DJB said. The DJB, responsible for the production and distribution of drinking water as also for collection, treatment and disposal of domestic sewage in the national capital, shared the figures in response to a query by Noida-based RTI activist Amit Gupta. Sharing the year-wise details of funds received in the last eight years, the DJB said it got

Kejriwal holds review meeting with DJB officials over clean water supply

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday held a review meeting with officials of the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) and instructed that there should be "no shortage of money" to supply clean water. During the meeting, it was decided that the DJB will end the problem of dirty water in a few areas, use modern technology to find out pipeline leakage issues and solve it permanently. "Arvind Kejriwal held a regular review meeting with the Delhi Jal Board today and discussed about the detailed plan for ending the problem of dirty water in some of the areas. DJB officials said that to end the problem, they will use modern technology like helium gas and cameras to identify the pipeline leakage and find a permanent solution to it," the chief minister's office tweeted. He said that there should be "no shortage of money" to supply clean water to the people of Delhi. The chief minister directed DJB chairperson and minister Saurabh Bharadwaj that the issue of dirty water should be resolved at the

Delhi BJP protest at DJB headquarters over 'shortage' of drinking water

The Delhi BJP, led by its chief Virendra Sachdeva, held a protest at the Jal Board headquarters on Saturday over a "shortage" of drinking water in the city. Many of them held placards with messages in Hindi demanding "clean water or resignation" as they protested at the 'Varunalaya', the headquarters of the Delhi Jal Board. Various other senior BJP leaders such as Leader of Opposition in Delhi Assembly Ramvir Singh Bidhuri and Kuljeet Singh Chahal also joined in the stir. "Today, at the Delhi Jal Board headquarters, a protest was held against the Kejriwal government regarding the shortage of drinking water in Delhi," Sachdeva tweeted with pictures from the protest site. Delhi's water situation has become "so bad that even in the posh Civil Line area where Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal lives, taps are dry and the water that comes is not potable," he alleged in his tweet in Hindi. "Shame on such a Chief Minister who builds a Sheeshmahal for himself but is not even able to provide

Monitoring of water supply for efficient distribution from July 1: Delhi CM

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday said the Delhi government will use special computer systems called SCADA to monitor the water supply more efficiently from July 1. This will help make sure water is distributed properly across the city, an official statement quoted Kejriwal as saying. To make this monitoring possible, flow meters will be installed on the water pipeline network by the end of this year. These meters are connected to the SCADA system, which allows the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) headquarters to keep an eye on how much water is flowing in each pipeline all over Delhi, the statement said. SCADA systems are like smart computers that help manage the water system. They allow the people in charge to watch over everything from one central location, it said. During a meeting with DJB officials, Kejriwal emphasised the government's commitment to preventing wastage of water in Delhi. The DJB, in a statement, said it has been found that there are no proper records of water .

Kejriwal directs Delhi Jal Board to resolve water contamination issues

Water Minister Saurabh Bhardwaj, Delhi Jal Board Vice Chairman Somnath Bharti, and senior DJB officials were present at the review meeting

Situ rehab: Request for water supply, laying sewer lines 'pending' with DJB

The Delhi Jal Board has "not cleared" the drawings for the laying down of water and sewer pipelines for an in situ rehabilitation project site here, despite a request by the DDA, official sources claimed on Friday. There was no immediate reaction from the DJB. Requests from the DDA for the supply of water and laying of sewer lines is "pending with the DJB" since 2013 in the case of Kalkaji Bhoomiheen Camp, and since 2017 in the case of Jailorwala Bagh, the sources said. The Jailorwala Bagh in situ rehabilitation project is ready for possession for 1,800 slum-dwelling families. "The DJB has not even cleared the drawings for the laying down of water and sewer pipelines till now, despite a request made by the DDA back in 2017," a source said. Thousands of slum-dwellers from the Bhoomiheen Camp, who were shifted to modern multi-storey flats in November last year, are facing a "water crisis". The DDA has been supplying water to these people through tankers, sources said. The issue fig

Vehicular movement to be affected on Inner Ring Road due to DJB work

The vehicular movement will be affected on Inner Ring Road in the carriageway from Punjabi Bagh towards Prembari for the next six days due to ongoing Delhi Jal Board work, the Delhi Traffic Police said on Wednesday. Taking to Twitter, the traffic police alerted commuters about the possible congestion on Inner Ring Road, suggesting them to avoid the stretch till the repair work gets completed. "Traffic will remain affected on Inner Ring Road in the carriageway from Punjabi Bagh towards Prembari due to ongoing Delhi Jal Board work near Britannia Chowk for next 5/6 days. Only two Lanes are left for traffic movement. Kindly avoid the stretch," the Delhi Traffic Police tweeted. In another tweet, the police also informed that traffic was affected on Aurobindo Marg in the carriageway from Adhchini towards IIT due to a fallen tree. "Only one lane is functional. Kindly avoid the stretch," it said. Meanwhile, traffic was also affected on Ring Road in the carriageway from AIIMS towards Lajpa

Modernise water treatment plants: Delhi CM Kejriwal instructs DJB

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday instructed Delhi Jal Board (DJB) officials to modernise the city's four water treatment plants and find a "permanent solution" to remove contaminants. For this, he said, authorities should develop a time-bound comprehensive plan, according to an official statement issued after a review meeting chaired by the chief minister. He also stressed upon officials that the "presence of dirty water in any part of Delhi should be completely eradicated", it said. In the meeting, which was attended by Water Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj, DJB vice chairperson Somnath Bharti and senior officials of the Board, Kejriwal expressing concern over the issue of contamination of supply water, reiterated that a "permanent solution" to the problem should be found. Stressing on the need for modernisation of the treatment plants, he directed officials to take immediate action to upgrade filters to ensure clean water to people. These plants currently suffer fro

Delhi Jal Board plans to hire experts to train staff in customer services

The Delhi Jal Board (DJB) said on Monday that it plans to hire experts to train its staff on providing better customer services. The utility will also conduct a special drive to disconnect connections of commercial and government consumers who have defaulted on their bills. During a meeting with senior officials, DJB Vice Chairman Somnath Bharti emphasised the need for DJB officers and employees to provide better customer satisfaction. He suggested that they undergo training on the lines of multinational firms to improve the way they interact with consumers. "The DJB will avail the services of experts for training the employees. In the training, the DJB employees will be taught ways to behave better with customers," a statement said. Bharti also directed officers to take strict action against commercial and government users who have defaulted on bills. The defaulting consumers with commercial connections owe Rs 18,000 crore to the DJB. Bharti also said that centralised monitoring

LG slams Delhi Jal Board over pathetic Wazirabad Water Treatment Plant

Delhi LG slammed the Delhi Jal Board for not addressing any of the concerns raised by him, substantively after his visit to the Wazirabad Water Treatment Plant

Ex-DJB officer gets vigilance notice for demolishing 15th-century monument

The Delhi government's vigilance department has served a notice to senior IAS officer Udit Prakash Rai for the construction of an official accommodation following the demolition of a 15th-century monument during his tenure as DJB's chief executive officer. The department has also issued show cause notices to five Delhi Jal Board (DJB) engineers for their alleged connivance in the demolition of the monument and construction of the official residence of the board's CEO. The engineers with administrative responsibilities in the Board have been asked to furnish their replies in two weeks. The monument, a "Mahal" (palace) of the Pathan period and the only remnant of the Khizrabad city founded by Khizr Khan of the Sayyid dynasty was located at Jal Vihar area near Lajpat Nagar in southeast Delhi. Multiple political parties, including the BJP and Trinamool Congress, have demanded action over the demolition of the monument. "Only in India. Fifteenth-century monument demolished to construct