Aid for flood relief delayed, Delhi Minister Atishi chastises officials

On Saturday, Revenue Minister Atishi “pulled up” chief secretary Naresh Kumar over the payment of flood relief money, reigniting the conflict between the AAP administration in Delhi and its bureaucracy.

Additionally, the employee was instructed by Delhi Revenue Minister Atishi to deliver a status report to her and Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal by Monday at 6 o’clock.

Atishi requested in a letter to Chief Secretary Kumar that all officers be available on Saturday and Sunday to complete the ex gratia relief in order for the funds to be put into their bank accounts on Monday.

She questioned the official regarding ex-gratia being granted to Delhi flood victims and inquired as to why, out of the 4716 families who were housed in relief camps after the flood, only 197 households have received flood relief payments to date.

‘I was shocked to find that, out of 4716 families who were staying in relief camps during the flood, only 197 families have received the Rs 10,000 ex gratia relief of the Delhi Government,’ Atishi said in the letter to the Chief Secretary.

She continued by saying that in addition to the six District Magistrates, six Additional District Magistrates (ADMs), and 18 Sub Divisional Magistrates (SDMs), 19 Indian Administrative Service (IAS) and 18 DANICs personnel were unable to handle this relief package for just 4716 people in 10 days.

Delhi, Andaman & Nicobar, Lakshadweep, Daman and Diu, and Dadra and Nagar Haveli (Civil) Services are referred to as DANICS.

‘Given the number of officers deployed for flood relief and rehabilitation, each of these officers had to provide relief to seven families per day, and that too has not been done. Such laxity is absolutely shocking,’ she added.

‘If they are showing such laxity in times of emergency and disaster, I am deeply concerned about what they would be doing in the day-to-day tasks of their departments.’

The AAP administration and Ashwini Kumar, principal secretary (home), got into a fight earlier on Friday over the cancellation of the National Capital Civil Services Authority meeting.

Prior to that, AAP ministers Saurabh Bharadwaj and Atishi engaged in a confrontation with the principal secretary (home) over the army’s and the NDRF’s use of force in an effort to stop the ITO region from being flooded by Yamuna floodwaters due to a rupture in a drain regulator.