Delhi Jal Board Vice-Chairman Dinesh Mohaniya on Thursday said that DJB has collected water samples from 11 places from where the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) had collected water for a study. The DJB will test the samples and come out with results, which would be made public.
Last week, the study by BIS had said that water in Delhi was most unsafe among 21 State Capitals based on 11 water samples collected from the city.
Mr. Mohaniya said that the BIS tests were politically motivated, ahead of Delhi Assembly election. “No SoP [Standard Operating Procedure] like sealing of water collected was followed. The samples were collected not according to BIS and procedures were not followed,” he said.
Cites procedural lapses
“We also got the BIS report. Neither the range nor the details of the findings of individual samples were given in the report. It erodes the institutional credibility of BIS tasked with the assessment of quality and standardisation of other products,” said Mr. Mohaniya.
He said that water samples were taken from houses of LJP workers and demanded that BIS officers who did the study should be held responsible.
“Grave procedural lapses in collecting water samples by BIS. Samples were taken from the houses of Ram Vilas Paswan and LJP workers. Instead of BIS officials, LJP workers collected water samples,” Mr. Mohaniya said.
Commenting on Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan asking Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to nominate someone other than Mr. Mohaniya for a joint team to test water in Delhi, as the latter is a political appointee, Mr. Mohaniya said, “Transparent process, not individuals are important.”
“We have 33,000 km-long water pipeline. So there will be some problems. But we identify it and fix it quickly,” he added.
Also, AAP demanded Mr. Paswan’s resignation stating that the study was “fabricated”.
“I want to ask him on whose instructions did Mr. Paswan made such a fabricated, orchestrated and fudged report? Being a Central Minister he has betrayed the constitutional principles of this country. Mr. Paswan should apologise to the people of Delhi and India and should immediately resign from his post,” said AAP MP Sanjay Singh, while addressing a press conference.
