New Delhi: After choosing not to take any portfolio for two-and- a-half years, Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal is set to take over the water department from Rajendra Pal Gautam, who alleged that top DJB officials, including DJB CEO, were not keeping him in the loop regarding important decisions. The chief minister met Mr Gautam, who had taken over the water department barely three months ago, at his residence on Saturday evening and conveyed the decision to him.
The decision comes following a series of deaths in the city while cleaning sewers and septic tanks. The sewer network in the national capital comes under the Delhi Jal Board (DJB).
Alleging that he was being bypassed, Mr Guatam said, “Taking advantage of the fact that services is with the Centre, the officials were not keeping me in the loop and taking decisions unilaterally. The CM must have taken note of this and decided to take it over himself”. DJB officials said that Mr Gautam wanted the transfer order of a section engineer (SE), whose role in the Lajpat Nagar sewer deaths case is under the scanner, to be reversed. However, the DJB CEO refused to do so as the person is alleged to have forged documents related to the Lajpat Nagar deaths.
This will be Mr Kejriwal’s first ministerial portfolio since taking over as CM in February 2015. After winning the elections in 2015, he had said that he won’t keep any portfolio and would instead act like a bridge between his Cabinet and the people of Delhi.
The decision also comes days after the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) won the Bawana bypoll and sources said that it will help the CM to be at the forefront of a makeover of Delhi’s water and sewerage management system.
