Lieutenant-Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena and Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal discussed various issues, including water scarcity and imparting skill training to workers of the unorganised sector, in their weekly meeting here on Friday.
They also discussed preparations for a special cleanliness and sanitation drive that they will jointly launch and monitor. This is the first joint project being launched by the two Delhi administrators since Mr. Saxena assumed charge on May 26.
Friday’s meeting comes in the wake of a spree of ground inspections and field visits undertaken by the L-G and the Chief Minister over the last fortnight. The AAP government has, on multiple occasions, accused Mr. Saxena of interfering in its administrative domain. Despite such disagreements, both Mr. Saxena and Mr. Kejriwal have sought to present a joint front when it comes to the issues concerning the city’s governance. Earlier this month, Mr. Kejriwal had said he will meet the L-G every Friday for “better coordination”.
Toolkit distribution
Mr. Saxena, according to Raj Niwas, brought up the issue of distribution of enabling toolkits to 75,000 unskilled and semi-skilled workers in unorganised sectors such as pottery, carpentry, shoe-making and blacksmithery.
According to Raj Niwas, it was agreed by the L-G and the CM to immediately start work on the identification of individual and group beneficiaries for the rollout of the programme.
The L-G also invoked training and distribution of machinery for making cow dung logs, diyas and cotton wicks, which would lead to the empowerment of women, financial gains and prevent clogging of drains by deterring dung disposal.
The L-G underlined that dung logs thus created could be used as an alternative to wood for cremation purposes saving trees.
“Upon the L-G informing that cow dung was being successfully used for the production of paint, emulsion and distemper, the CM said a team of officials would visit Jaipur to see and learn the know-how of the processes so as to replicate them in Delhi as well as Punjab,” Raj Niwas said.
The L-G and the CM, Raj Niwas said, discussed the recurring issue of water scarcity in the city and stressed upon a sustainable way forward that entailed making the city self-sufficient in meeting its water requirements.
Mr. Saxena assured Mr. Kejriwal that he would take up the issue at all appropriate levels to address it in the interim. It was also decided that a meeting of all departments concerned will be held in the presence of the two administrators on Tuesday.
“Officers will be asked to present their concrete plans detailing the number of sink holes that they would put in place before June 30 for the purpose of absorbing rain and floodwater and preventing water-logging, apart from recharging the water table, as decided in the last meeting (on June 4),” Raj Niwas said.
Corruption and harassment in delivery of public services like issuing of certificates and property registration, among others, were also discussed.
Mr. Saxena on Thursday evening visited New Delhi Municipal Council areas and issued instructions to declutter and clean Bengali Market and Shankar Market and aesthetically upgrade Connaught Place’s northern outer circle. He directed the officials concerned to expedite the restoration of Gole Market and spruce and maintain its surroundings.
The L-G also asked for all flyovers in the NDMC area to be aesthetically upgraded with uniform colours, railings and central verge designs. These include the Ranjit Singh flyover connecting CP to JLN Marg, Lala Lajpat Rai flyover towards Defence Colony and those near Oberoi Hotel and Neela Gumbad.
