Page 5 - Saurabh Bharadwaj

Delhi L-G office slams Saurabh Bhardwaj over remarks on Yamuna's cleaning

This comes after Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Saurabh Bhardwaj challenged Delhi LG to present any new projects he has initiated before "taking credit" for the work done by the Arvind Kejriwal govt

'Strange' that L-G takes credit for Yamuna's improvement: Saurabh Bhardwaj

Delhi Water Minister Saurabh Bhardwaj on Sunday said it is "strange" that Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena takes credit for the improvement in the Yamuna river's water quality while all accountability lies with the Kejriwal government. In a statement released by his office, Bhardwaj said no significant improvement in the Yamuna water quality could be achieved without enhancing the quality and capacity of sewage treatment plants. "It is quite strange that any improvement in the pollution of Yamuna is claimed by the LG while all the accountability and answerability lies with the Arvind Kejriwal government," Bhardwaj said. Bhardwaj said the reference parameters for sewage treatment plant functioning were recently changed nationwide, and states have started rehabilitating their STPs accordingly. The Delhi Jal Board (DJB) has been at the forefront of these efforts. It has already awarded contracts to professional firms for the rehabilitation of 11 STPs, aiming to upgrade them to the lates

Delhi to implement helium leakage detection tech to address polluted water

The Delhi government will implement a helium leakage detection technology in the city to effectively address the problem of contaminated water, minister Saurabh Bharadwaj said on Tuesday. The technology involves injecting helium gas into a pipeline and then conducting drilling at multiple locations. If there is a leak in the pipeline, the gas will escape and rise to the surface, allowing technicians to precisely pinpoint the location of the leak. Water Minister Bharadwaj said this modern technology will eliminate the need for road excavation and ground digging to identify leaks in the underground pipeline network, bringing relief to the residents of the national capital. He visited Shahpur Jat on Tuesday to inspect the state-of-the-art equipment designed to detect leakage and contaminated water in the pipeline. Bharadwaj personally tested the helium leakage detection technology to evaluate its success in identifying pipeline leaks, according to a statement. Recent complaints regar

Parliament building constructed by burying Constitution: Saurabh Bhardwaj

Delhi Minister Saurabh Bhardwaj on Sunday said that the new Parliament House has been constructed by burying the Constitution of India

Delhi will treat all sewage it generates as per prescribed standards by Dec

Delhi will be able to treat all the sewage it generates as per the prescribed standards by December which will help reduce the pollution load on the Yamuna river, Water Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj said on Friday. Addressing a press conference, he said the sewage treatment plants (STPs) in the national capital will be able to treat around 814 million gallons of wastewater per day (MGD) as per the prescribed standards by December. Delhi generates 768 million gallons a day (MGD) of sewage. The 35 STPs in the city have a cumulative treatment capacity of 632 MGD. At present, these STPs are utilising only 69 per cent of their installed capacity. This means only 530 MGD of the 768 MGD sewage is being treated. Only 160.5 MGD of the treated wastewater meets the prescribed standards according to which biological oxygen demand (BOD) and total soluble solids (TSS) in treated wastewater should be less than 10 milligrams per litre. BOD, an important parameter for assessing water quality, is the

No orders for staff to be passed by CS without his nod: Delhi minister

Delhi Services Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj on Thursday directed that no orders pertaining to employees will be passed by the chief secretary or the services department without his approval, amid a growing discord between bureaucrats and the city government. The order comes close on the heels of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government seeking the Centre's approval to appoint 1989-batch Indian Administrative Service officer PK Gupta as the new chief secretary of Delhi. Gupta is currently serving as additional chief secretary in the general administration department (GAD) of the Delhi government. The present chief secretary, Naresh Kumar, is due to retire later this year, officials said. "In supercession of all earlier orders, it is hereby directed that no orders for any category of employees shall be passed by the chief secretary or secretary (services) or services department without the approval of the undersigned," Bharadwaj said in an order signed by him. This order is the latest in a

Delhi CSB meeting delayed due to chief secretary's 'busy schedule'

A meeting of the Civil Services Board (CSB) convened by Delhi Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar on Tuesday to consider the AAP government's directions to transfer officers, including Services Department Secretary Ashish More, was delayed due to his busy schedule, official sources said. The meeting could not take place on time as the chief secretary remained busy throughout the day, they said. Services Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj as well as two members of the CSB waited for Kumar till 8:30 pm, the government sources said. More was removed by the Delhi government from his post on May 11, hours after the Supreme Court order placed the control of bureaucrats working with the Delhi government (excluding those related to police, public order, and land) under the elected government. Earlier, transfers and postings of all Delhi government officers were decided by the Lieutenant Governor In an order issued on Monday, Bharadwaj had said the chief secretary will not try to "influence" the preparat

Services row: CSB meeting delayed due to chief secy's busy schedule

A meeting of the Civil Services Board (CSB) convened by Delhi Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar on Tuesday to consider the AAP government's directions to transfer officers, including Services Department Secretary Ashish More, was delayed due to his busy schedule, official sources said. The meeting could not take place on time as the chief secretary remained busy throughout the day, they said. Services Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj as well as two members of the CSB were waiting for Kumar till 8:30 pm, the government sources said. "The chief secretary was reaching for the meeting and it was expected to begin shortly," a source said. More was removed by the Delhi government from his post on May 11, hours after the Supreme Court order placed the control of bureaucrats working with the Delhi government (excluding those related to police, public order, and land) under the elected government. Earlier, transfers and postings of all Delhi government officers were decided by the Lieutenant Governor

Delhi chief secretary convenes meeting of Civil Services Board today

Delhi Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar has convened a meeting of the Civil Services Board (CSB) on May 16 to consider the AAP government's directions to transfer officers, including Services Secretary Ashish More, officials said on Monday. It will be the first meeting of the CSB after a Supreme Court judgment placed the control of bureaucrats working with the Delhi government (excluding those related to police, public order, and land) under the elected government. Earlier, transfers and postings of all Delhi government officers were decided by the Lieutenant Governor. More was removed by the Delhi government from his post on May 11, hours after the Supreme Court order. In an order, Services Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj said the two other members of the CSB, being junior to the chief secretary, who chairs the board's meeting, may be unable to "fearlessly" express their views and directed that a draft of the meeting be prepared in advance. "CSB consists of two secretaries and is chaired by

Delhi govt issues showcause to services secretary for disregarding order

The Delhi government has issued a showcause notice to IAS officer and services department secretary Ashish More and threatened disciplinary action against him for not complying with his transfer order and allegedly going incommunicado. More was removed by the Delhi government from his post last Thursday in an order issued hours after the Supreme Court gave the AAP dispensation control over the transfer and posting of officers in the state. No reply has been received from More on the showcause notice issued to him by Services Department Minister Saurabh Bhardwaj on May 13, said a Delhi government official. More was unavailable for comments. In a memo to More, Bhardwaj had sought his response within 24 hours over charges that he refused to comply with the transfer order. The services minister also cited that various attempts to communicate with the officer through phone calls as well as WhatsApp messages did not bore any results and he that was "absconding" as he has not informed ab

CM Kejriwal being spied upon by Delhi police, alleges Saurabh Bhardwaj

The Aam Aadmi Party on Thursday alleged Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was being spied on by the Delhi Police with its Special Cell officials in plainclothes "roaming around" his residence the whole day. AAP chief spokesperson and Delhi minister Saurabh Bharadwaj told a press conference here the party's Rajya Sabha MPs Raghav Chadha and Sanjay Singh have written to Delhi Police Commissioner Sanjay Arora in connection with the matter. The Delhi Police refused to comment on the matter. Addressing the media, Bharadwaj said, "In the last two days, our MPs have written letters on a very serious issue." He then read out from the similar letters written by the MPs. "I would like to draw your attention to a serious issue. Delhi's people have made Kejriwal CM thrice. There have been security lapses and he has been attacked. Police are supposed to protect the citizens. But it's sad that they are not able to keep even the chief minister safe. Few days back, a drone was spotted near his resid

Delhi govt supports filing of FIR against WFI chief: Saurabh Bharadwaj

Delhi minister and AAP leader Saurabh Bharadwaj on Tuesday asserted that a case should be registered in connection with sexual harassment allegations levelled against WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh by wrestlers. The remarks come on a day the Supreme Court issued notices to the Delhi government and others on a plea by seven women wrestlers seeking an FIR against Singh, saying the allegations of sexual harassment levelled by them are "serious" and require its consideration. Talking about the court notice, Bharadwaj said, "The apex court has issued a notice to us. It is a standard protocol. We will say in court that case should be registered." He also attacked Delhi Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena over the alleged delay in filing the FIR in the matter. "The wrestlers had levelled the sexual harassment allegations three months ago. The case should have been filed by now. Now, they have given a complaint, but no case has been registered and no arrests made. The L-G should answer wha

Additional 70,000 street lights to be installed in Delhi under govt scheme

Delhi Urban Development Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj on Tuesday gave an approval to the installation of additional 70,000 street lights in the national capital, officials said. This will be in addition to the 2.1 lakh street lights that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government had earlier aimed to install in the city, they said. "In another landmark decision that will make the national capital safer for its citizens, the Kejriwal government is set to install 70,000 street lights in various constituencies of Delhi under the Mukhyamantri Street Light Yojana," the department said in a statement. Bharadwaj gave the nod to the scheme to install an additional 70,000 street lights, increasing the target from 2.1 lakh to 2.8 lakh, and directed the Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB) to complete the project within the timeline, it said. He said the initiative had been taken after seeing the "tremendous participation" of the residents of Delhi under the Mukhyamantri Street Light Yojana,

No indications variant XBB.1.16 leading to infection among kids: Bhardwaj

Delhi Health Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj on Thursday said there were no indications that Omicron variant XBB.1.16 was leading to severe infection among children, and assured that the government was closely monitoring the situation. Addressing a press conference, the minister said the government was fully prepared to handle the Covid situation. "Commonly, any illness affects the children and elderly. But there is no information coming in from experts that says that the Omicron XBB.1.16 variant infection is more severe among children. "I would advise people with low immunity or those with severe illnesses to avoid crowded places and wear masks. The transmissibility of this variant is high," he said. Delhi's single-day caseload additions on Wednesday breached the 1,000-mark for the first time in over seven months while the positivity rate stood at 23.8 per cent, according to data shared by the Health department. The national capital logged 1,149 fresh cases and one fatality on ...

People with flu-like symptoms should wear masks, says Saurabh Bharadwaj

Covid cases in Delhi are expected the rise in the coming days as the city is densely populated, Health Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj said Monday and asked people with flu-like symptoms to wear masks and avoid public places. The national capital reported 699 COVID-19 cases and four deaths on Sunday. Three deaths reported on Sunday were due to various diseases and Covid was "incidental". In one case, the primary reason was Covid, Bharadwaj told reporters. "Any death is unfortunate," the Delhi health minister said, adding the "Delhi government and its health department is on high alert". Bharadwaj cautioned people that Covid cases are expected to rise in the city in the coming days. "Delhi is a densely populated city. Cases will rise and many people will exhibit flu-like and influenza-like symptoms such as fever and cough. But they will recover," he said. "People with such symptoms should not venture out in public places. If at all one has to go to such places then one should wear a ma

Punjab Police doing its job, Amritpal to be nabbed soon: AAP's Saurabh

Saurabh Bhardwaj said that Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann understands what is important for Punjab and the country

Ministers Saurabh Bhardwaj, Atishi take charge of their respective depts

Saurabh Bhardwaj has been allocated the portfolios of Health, Industry, Services, Vigilance, Urban Development, Water, and Irrigation & flood control

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Atishi education minister, Saurabh Bharadwaj new health minister in Delhi

Aam Aadmi Party MLAs Saurabh Bharadwaj and Atishi were sworn in as ministers by Delhi Lt Governor V K Saxena on Thursday in the presence of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. Leader of Opposition in the Delhi Assembly Ramvir Singh Bidhur also attended the oath-taking ceremony. Atishi will handle education, PWD, power and tourism departments, while Bharadwaj will look after health, urban development, water and industries. Following the resignations of Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia and minister Satyendar Jain, both currently in Tihar jail in alleged corruption and money laundering cases, respectively, two Cabinet berths had fallen vacant. Sisodia was arrested by CBI on February 26 in connection with alleged corruption in the formulation and implementation of the now-scrapped Delhi excise policy for 2021-22. He is in judicial custody till March 20. Jain, who is also in judicial custody, was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in a case of alleged money laundering on May

Congress has lost opportunity by not supporting Oppn over Adani issue: AAP

The AAP on Monday attacked the Congress, saying the grand old party lost an opportunity by not supporting the Opposition in the fight over the issues of Adani and raids by central agencies. AAP national spokesperson Saurabh Bharadwaj also took a dig at Rahul Gandhi and said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi wins the elections as he gets to choose his competitor who is the former Congress chief. Bharadwaj made the remarks at a press conference here. When asked about the Congress not being a signatory to the letter written by some opposition leaders to PM Modi alleging "blatant misuse" of central agencies, the AAP leader said, "Congress had an opportunity to support the Opposition over the Adani issue and the CBI-ED raids. But they sided with the BJP." "They (Congress) are saying in 95 per cent of the cases the raids are wrong. What the Congress means by saying that is they (raids) are 95 per cent wrong when they happen with Congress leaders but are five per cent correct for other ..