Delhi PWD Minister Atishi Directs Officials To Repair All Potholes By Dec 31

PWD Minister Atishi chastised officials for alleged laxity in carrying out road repair works and ordered that all potholes be filled by December 31.

Delhi Public Works Department (PWD) Minister Atishi on Saturday expressed dissatisfaction with the alleged negligence of officials in implementing road repair works and issued a directive on Saturday for the prompt fixing of all potholes by December 31.

In an official statement addressed to the principal secretary of the public works department, Atishi mandated that the resurfacing of roads, where necessary, should commence by February 1 and conclude by February 29.

Furthermore, she issued an ultimatum for the repair of all potholes by the year-end and demanded daily progress reports on the ongoing efforts.

The minister instructed the PWD principal secretary to ensure strict adherence to timelines and emphasized the need for decisive action against officers causing delays.

Expressing dismay at the deteriorating condition of PWD roads, Atishi conveyed in the communication that the current state is both shocking and unacceptable, with the potential for serious accidents. She highlighted that the laxity and apathy of the PWD have placed the residents of Delhi in a precarious situation.

"I have been directing the PWD for the past six months regarding the same, yet there has been no action taken by the PWD. I have conducted at least 10 meetings and undertaken multiple ground visits," Atishi stated. The communication also included photographs illustrating the current state of the roads.

Earlier on Friday, L-G VK Saxena rejected Vigilance Minister Atishi's proposal to reconsider his stance on corruption charges levelled by her in a 'preliminary report' against chief secretary Naresh Kumar involving his son and divisional commissioner Ashwani Kumar on Bamnoli land acquisition linked to Dwarka Motorway for the second time.

According to PTI,  Raj Bhawan officials said that the L-G noted that the resubmitted file was nothing more than a "re-spinning of theories" by the minister, with no new facts presented to support her arguments. According to the officials, Saxena observed that the entire exercise or intention to resubmit the file appeared to be an attempt to mislead the public.

On November 14, this year, Atishi shared the preliminary report, which was rejected by the L-G. Saxena, while dismissing the report earlier on November 19 by Atishi and endorsed by CM Arvind Kejriwal, had described it as "half-baked and incorrect". According to Atishi's report, the chief secretary was involved in an alleged land compensation scam.