Delhi CM Kejriwal to take over water department

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal is all set to take charge of water department from Rajendra Pal Gautam, who alleged that he was not taken into confidence by the top Delhi Jal Board (DJB) officials in decision making.

On Saturday Kejriwal met Gautam at his residence and informed about the decision. He is going to hold first ministerial portfolio since taking over the reign of Delhi.

Gautam told a news agency that the top officials including the DJB CEO were not informing him and keeping him in dark matters related to the department. 

“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,” Gautam said.

The decision also 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 DJB.

However, senior DJB officials, on condition of anonymity, alleged that 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.

“The minister initially wanted the engineer to be transferred. Then for some unknown reason he wanted the order to be reversed.

“The DJB CEO refused to do so as the person is alleged to have forged documents related to the Lajpat Nagar deaths. And the decision to remove him as minister came soon after,” an official said.

The decision was conveyed to Gautam yesterday but it was on the cards for some time.

Informally briefing some reporters about the same, a government spokesperson said it will help Kejriwal personally monitor issues related to water and sewerage which are “priority areas” of the AAP government.

Gautam will continue to hold the portfolios of SC & ST, Social Welfare, Cooperative and Gurudwara Elections.