Thousands of households experiencing severe water shortage, the LoP writes to the chief minister
NEW DELHI — With torrential rain leaving large parts of the national capital waterlogged, Delhi Assembly Leader of Opposition (LoP) Atishi on Saturday accused the BJP-led state government of “stalling and collapsing” within six months of taking office. She cited the government’s failure to protect critical infrastructure and manage monsoon challenges.
In a letter to Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, Atishi flagged a severe water crisis in Kalkaji area in Southeast Delhi after the Giri Nagar Underground Reservoir (UGR) pumping station — supplying water to Kalkaji, Giri Nagar, Govindpuri, and Govindpuri Extension — was completely submerged within hours of rainfall. The pumps stopped functioning, bringing water supply in these areas to a halt.
“Thousands of households are staring at 2–3 days of severe water shortage, with no alternate arrangements from your government,” she wrote, warning that the crisis has struck during the Raksha Bandhan festival, compounding residents’ distress.
Atishi said she had raised the matter in the Vidhan Sabha the previous day, but the situation had since “taken a turn for the worse” after the pumping station broke down. “When the entire country is celebrating Raksha Bandhan, the people of Kalkaji are forced to suffer the brunt of your government’s failure,” she said.
She argued that this was not an isolated incident but part of a larger city-wide breakdown. “A few hours of rain brought Delhi to a grinding halt — roads flooded, traffic paralysed, and in many homes, rainwater entered living spaces. This is not a natural calamity but the result of administrative negligence,” she alleged.
She also took aim at the BJP’s “four-engine government” in Delhi, saying it had “stalled and collapsed” in just six months. “Such a situation not only causes hardship for residents but also raises serious concerns about the administration’s preparedness to handle monsoon-related challenges,” she added.
Calling for urgent intervention, Atishi urged the chief minister to direct Public Works Department (PWD) and Water Minister Parvesh Verma to immediately restore water supply in Kalkaji. “Otherwise, I, along with residents, will be forced to take to the streets for a solution,” she warned.
