 "Delhi L-G, AAP govt trade charges over civic issues in slum clusters")
Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena and the AAP government traded charges on Saturday over the city's civic issues as he shared on social media pictures highlighting cleanliness issues in the slum clusters of Tehkhand and Okhla.
Posting pictures captured during his Friday visit to Golkuan in Tehkhand and Sanjay Colony in Okhla, both slum areas in southeast Delhi, Saxena requested Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to take cognisance of it.
In its reaction to Saxena's posts and pictures on X, the Kejriwal government alleged in a statement that three lakh slum-dwellers in Delhi have become homeless due to LG's decisions and directions.
The LG office sent out a strongly-worded reply, saying, "This is typical and blatant lie being peddled, supposedly by Delhi government."
"Not a single Jhuggi has been removed at LG's directions. In fact, on many occasions, the last being at Majnu ka Tila, demolitions were stopped due to LG's intervention," a Raj Niwas official said.
The LG has made four visits to underdeveloped areas like unauthorised colonies and slum clusters in the city in recent days.
Previously, he visited Kirari, Burari, Sangam Vihar and shared similar pictures and issued directions for action by the concerned departments.
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In a series of posts on X on Saturday, Saxena expressed concern that thousands of people were living in these areas with heaps of garbage, overflowing and smelly drains, facing the danger of getting diseases.
He also alleged there was "inaction and insensitivity" of those responsible for taking corrective steps.
"Complaints of lack of public facilities are being regularly received from each part of Delhi. In this connection, visited Golkuan Tehkhand JJ Cluster and Sanjay Colony, Okhla yesterday and witnessed the ground reality. Nothing could be a bigger example of inaction and insensitivity than this," he posted on X.
In another post with more pictures, he said "It is shameful that our citizen are facing such plight due to years of neglect."
The LG pointed that according to news reports, Rs 5,500 crores were spent on development of these settlements.
He directed agencies concerned -- the Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB), Delhi State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd. (DSIIDC) and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) among others -- to immediately ensure sanitation in the settlements and provide necessary facilities there.
"It is requested to the Chief Minister to take cognizance of this serious issue," he said in another post tagging him with more photos of the areas he visited.
The AAP government charged that "Delhiites are aware that since LG Vinai Kumar Saxena took office, in the past approximately one and half years, he has demolished as many 'jhuggis' as never before in Delhi".
It accused the LG for demolition of JJ cluster near Sundari Nagari, and rendering people homeless in Tughalqabad.
It also alleged that an attempt was made to demolish Ghosiya colony near Mehrauli but it was stayed by High Court after the intervention of the Kejriwal government.
"In the last few days, the LG has rendered numerous people homeless. Now, before the elections, he is playing drama and shedding crocodile tears because he knows that people living in unauthorised colonies and slums will vote against the BJP because of the demolitions," the AAP government charged.
It also alleged that the LG ordered the demolition of a slum near Majnu Ka Tila where 800 Hindu refugees from Pakistan were living since 2011, but it was prevented after Chief Minister Kejriwal intervened.
Replying to the charges, Raj Niwas officials said it was "atrocious" that AAP government was even dragging the courts into its "murky games."
"They are charging the LG of misleading the courts, a tactics that they have perfected and the LG Secretariat has even moved courts against the perjury committed by them," the official said.
The Raj Niwas officials challenged the AAP government to take legal recourse if they thought that the LG was "misleading" the courts, questioning what was stopping it.