Former CEO of Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB) K Mahesh on Wednesday refuted the reasons cited by Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena for his transfer, saying he should have been given an opportunity to explain obviating the need for action against him.
Mahesh was moved to Union Territory Civil Services as special director last week, after the L-G on December 23 paid a surprise visit to the shelter homes at ISBT Kashmere Gate and found lack of accommodation and toilet facilities there.
Refuting the L-G’s statement that 5,000 homeless people were inhabited in the Yamuna Pushta area against the total capacity of 600 at the night shelters at the sites, Mahesh claimed that the shelter homes in the area could collectively accommodate a total of 2,115 people (1,865 in the regular night shelters and for 250 people in the Pagoda tents) on December 23, the day Saxena paid a surprise visit to the sites.
“It is clarified that there are 19 regular shelter homes at Pushta area near the ISBT with a capacity to accommodate 1,865 people in a stretch of about 1 km to 1.5 km. On the day of L-G’s inspection, there were eight pagoda tents and one big hanger at seven locations with a total capacity of 250 people, as an additional measure during this winter. Thus, the total capacity of all these shelter homes was for 2,115 people,” he claimed.
The LG had also said “consistent dereliction of duties” by Mahesh had resulted in delay of a nursery project by three