Delhi Assembly Committee raps officials over stopped Jal Board works

New Delhi, Jan 3 (IANS) The Delhi Assembly's Petitions Committee onn Tuesday pulled up officers of the Finance Department for causing hindrance in public welfare works of Delhi Jal Board, noting the work has been largely stalled due to constant obstructions by the Principal Secretary, Finance.

The Committee summoned officials of the Delhi Jal Board and Finance Department in connection with DJB works that have been stopped for several months, and heard the entire matter in the presence of Committee Chairman Akhilesh Pati Tripathi and other members.

Tripathi said that the government officers had become very insensitive towards the people of the city that the work of the department had been stalled for six months and yet there was no remorse on their part.

He claimed that the gross insensitivity of officers has shelved many works in Delhi over the last 6 months.

DJB Vice Chairman and AAP leader Saurabh Bhardwaj said: "Officials of the Delhi Jal Board said that all these works were stopped due to the objections of the Finance Department, and such objections were raised for the first time while giving funds. The budget of the Delhi Jal Board given by the Vidhan Sabha is never stopped in practice, but this time the Finance Department stopped the funds. A.C. Verma, Principal Secretary, Finance Department, raised many objections on giving funds to the Jal Board, that is why only about two-thirds of the money that was to be spent by the Jal Board can be spent."

He said that the Finance Department had raised some objections and asked for certain documents that had historically never been asked before for these works.