Delhi Government sought NDRF's help last night to repair the damaged Indraprastha regulator, but IAS officers ignored it: Saurabh Bhardwa

New Delhi:The Aam Aadmi Party has attacked the LG for the delay in contacting the NDRF to repair the broken regulator of drain number-12 near the WHO. According to senior AAP leader and cabinet minister Saurabh Bhardwaj, "I spoke with the LG with all due courtesy," but "it is not right for him to abuse me." How will the government function if the officers do not heed the minister's orders, even in times of emergency? The Delhi government sought NDRF assistance last night to fix the damaged Indraprastha regulator, but was turned down by some bureaucrats. The cops purposefully postponed calling the NDRF. It would have been much more helpful if the NDRF had arrived at night. He asked if this is a conspiracy to push Delhiites into a disaster and will the LG take action against those officers now?

Delhi's Lieutenant Governor Vinay Saxena went to visit the damaged regulator of drain number-12 near WHO building at around 11 am on Friday. This regulator was broken last evening due to heavy flow of Yamuna.After coming here, LG said in a statement that the team of NDRF, Army, Irrigation and Flood Control Department and Delhi Jal Board are continuously working here.However, even in the midst of a major crisis, the LG resorted to unjustified favouritism and assistance for officials who disobeyed their Minister's directives.

Saurabh Bhardwaj complained to the LG about the insubordination of IAS officers in charge of disaster management, Divisional Commissioner Ashwani Kumar, and Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar, who were present at the location. According to Bhardwaj, the word went widespread in the media that the broken regulator may create flooding in the Supreme Court, and he rushed to the spot at 10 pm. Despite the efforts of the flood department, water continued to flow into the city from the Yamuna.There was widespread concern that water might overwhelm Lutyens Delhi and the Supreme Court of India. Sensing the urgency, Saurabh Bharadwaj directed Ashwani Kumar to contact NDRF at night so that their efforts may be recognised.

Despite several requests from the special Wattsapp group of high officers, which included Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar, no officer was called to the NDRF. If NDRF had been called at 11 p.m., the problem could have been addressed effectively. Even AAP minister Atishi urged officers to talk to the Engineers Regiment of the Indian Army, but this directive was ignored.

In contrast to the LG's assertions, Bhardwaj said that the I&FC Department had worked furiously all night to resolve the problem. Indeed, at 11:09 p.m. last night, the Minister wrote to Ashwani Kumar, encouraging him to contact the NDRF for help in erecting a more sturdy improvised embankment. He considered that the NDRF's knowledge would be extremely beneficial to the I&FC Department's ongoing efforts.

Members of the Minister's specified WhatsApp group include Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar, Divisional Commissioner Ashwani Kumar, Irrigation and Flood Control Secretary Ashish Kundra, other DJB personnel, and Revenue Minister Atishi.She further advised that if the NDRF was unavailable, the army engineers would be instructed to address the problem. What's more, despite the repeated orders of two cabinet ministers, Divisional Commissioner Ashwani Kumar and Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar opted to violate the order during an emergency. Instead, they ignored the guidelines and continued providing their own reasons.

Bhardwaj said, "This raises serious concerns about the chain of command and the adherence to directions of Govt even during times of crisis. Even if we were to believe and accept the arguments given by these officers and the LG’s Press statement that the NDRF would not be of any use in fixing the regulator, then why did the LG call the NDRF there in the morning? Our second question is why was the Engineer Regiment called there in the morning? And why did the LG in the morning state to the media that he had called in the NDRF and the engineer regiment in the morning," he said."It is unfortunate and shocking to note that despite knowing that this drain breakdown could lead to water flowing in to Sensitive areas such as Lutyens Delhi or even the nation’s highest court, despite being directed by two cabinet ministers at night to call in the NDRF and the Engineer Regiment of the Army, neither were called by the officers," he said.

These revelations raise fundamental questions about the accountability of IAS officers. If directions from Ministers can be disregarded during emergency situations, it calls into question the very essence of an elected government. Bhardwaj further raised several important questions: "Is this not anarchy? Is this not an attempt to defame the government? Is this not a conspiracy against the Supreme Court? Is this not a conspiracy to put the lives of Delhiites in jeopardy?," he asked.The attached WhatsApp screenshots clearly demonstrate the directives issued to the officers, including the Chief Secretary, Divisional Commissioner, and DMs. Despite the presence of these officials, no action was taken in response to the urgent situation.He has called upon the LG to take appropriate action against the bureaucrats responsible for this gross negligence and conspiracy. Additionally, he questions whether the BJP and the LG will continue to patronise these officials who have blatantly disregarded directives.