Hry govt’s action against irrigation dept officials shows it’s responsible for Delhi floods: Minister

New Delhi: Delhi minister Saurabh Bharadwaj on Thursday said the Haryana government’s action against its irrigation department officials is a “clear admission of its responsibility” for the unprecedented floods in the capital in July.

Addressing a press conference, he requested the neighbouring state to hand over the management of the ITO Barrage to the city government.

A downpour on July 8 and 9 in Delhi and subsequent heavy rain in the river’s upper catchment areas, including Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Haryana, had led to the Yamuna swelling to record levels last month. The river breached embankments and penetrated deep into the city, causing massive damage to public and private property.

The Delhi government had alleged that some of the gates of the ITO barrage got jammed due to silt accumulation, hindering the quick drainage of river water.

Following a probe into the matter, the Haryana government on Wednesday suspended an irrigation department chief engineer and chargesheeted three other officials.

“The chief engineer concerned sits in Delhi. His primary work is to ensure proper functioning of the barrage. He and his subordinates failed to fulfil their responsibility.

“Earlier, Haryana had even refused to acknowledge that the barrage belongs to them and that they are responsible for its maintenance. They have now admitted their mistake and taken action against the erring officials,” Bharadwaj said.

Meanwhile, the Aam Aadmi Party on Thursday criticised the Bharatiya Janata Party’s recent actions on the appointment process for the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) and Election Commissioners (ECs) that seem to question the impartiality of India’s judiciary.

AAP leader Saurabh Bharadwaj accused the BJP of lacking confidence in the Chief Justice of India, during a press conference on Thursday, highlighting the recent decision to present a bill aimed at altering the appointment process for the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) and Election Commissioners (ECs).

Bharadwaj said, “The Supreme Court’s formation of an ‘Independent Selection Board’ was intended to ensure unbiased elections, involving key stakeholders including the Prime Minister, the leader of the opposition, and the Chief Justice of India.”

However, the government’s bill seeks to remove the Chief Justice from the process, leading to concerns of political interference in the judicial domain.

He also drew attention to the overturning of a SC verdict granting more powers to the Delhi government. Bharadwaj termed the PM’s mistrust of the judiciary, even at the level of the Chief Justice, as an unprecedented and unfortunate development in India’s parliamentary history.