To highlight the issue of leakage and wastage of water in Delhi, senior BJP leader Vijay Goel along with party national secretary Shyam Jaju on Monday took a bath with water drawn from a pool alongside a ruptured pipe in South Patel Nagar.
Drawing water with buckets from the pool and pouring it on himself, Mr. Goel, who is also the convener of Paani-Bijli Andolan, said he wanted to show everyone how precious water has been going waste in many parts of the Capital at a time when lakhs of people in some areas are not having any regular supply.
“I will demand legal action against Delhi Jal Board chairperson and Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit as also the Board officials for this blatant wastage,” he said.
Plan to move court
The BJP leader added he plans to move the Delhi Lokayukta and city courts in this regard.
On the significance of the spot he chose for the protest, Mr Goel said, “In Patel Nagar alone, the main 18 and 30 inch diameter supply pipe lines have been leaking for the last 12 years. There is a clear wastage of one lakh gallons of processed drinking water per day.”
On the other hand, he charged, the people are made to suffer due to mismanagement of water and made to pay for the losses incurred through sheer neglect and mismanagement of public resources.
Mr. Goel also charged the authorities of not acting in the matter despite repeated complaints. “Former Councillor Gulshan Bhatia has been writing about the issue to the Chief Minister since 2009. In a letter dated February 17, 2012, Delhi Jal Board Executive Engineer had stated that the Board had sanctioned Rs. 1.15 crore for the repair of the said pipeline and that tenders had been invited. But the fact is, no action has been taken to address the issue in a sustainable manner.”
