Delhi govt seeks deployment of Army engineers for Munak repair

The Delhi government on Monday sought deployment of Army engineers to carry out urgent repair of Haryana’s Munak Canal, saying it was damaged extensively by Jat protesters before Army took control of the reservoir that supplies 60 per cent of the Capital’s total water requirement.

Delhi’s water minister Kapil Mishra wrote separate letters to Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar, requesting them to deploy Army engineers to repair the Canal as soon as possible so that normalcy could be restored in supply of water from it to Delhi at the earliest.

The Delhi minister has written a similar letter to Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar also seeking his intervention to ensure early resumption of supply of water.

Seven water treatment plants in Delhi are lying idle due to disruption in raw water supply from the canal to Delhi, triggering water crisis in west, north, south-west, central and New Delhi areas.

“The damage caused to the canal appears to be enormous and all out efforts are required to repair the damage at the earliest,” Mishra said in his letter to Singh. Saying that the Indian Army with its resources and dedicated team of engineers is known for carrying out most difficult tasks in shortest possible time, he urged the Defence Minister to deploy Army personnel for repair work.