LG, Kejriwal inspect site of damaged drain regulator that flooded Vikas Marg

Delhi lieutenant governor (LG) VK Saxena and chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday inspected the site of the damaged drain regulator that inundated the arterial Vikas Marg, one of the lifelines of east Delhi linking the trans-Yamuna region to the rest of the Capital, and ITO.

Saxena said teams from the army, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), the Delhi Jal Board, and the irrigation and flood control were working to fix the problem on a war footing basis. “I am confident that we will see some positive results in the next four to five hours,” said Saxena.

He added sandbags were being placed to halt the flow of water. “We are also placing boulders to create a temporary embankment. ...Since the flow of the Yamuna is very strong, we need to ensure water does not flow deeper into the city.”

Kejriwal echoed Saxena saying the government was hopeful of a quick solution with efforts underway since Thursday night. “One plate of the regulator got bent completely and we are now repairing it...We feel work should get completed in the next three to four hours,” he said. He said irrigation and flood control minister Saurabh Bhardwaj has been at the site since Thursday night and the army and NDRF have joined the repair work.

Bhardwaj told Saxena that he made several requests to officers on Thursday night to bring in the NDRF, but the agency was deployed only on Friday morning. “We thank you...but had NDRF reached at night, it would have been better.”

Saxena said this was not the right time to blame others. “Right now, we need to work on this problem and need teamwork. I can also say a lot of things, but it will only make the situation worse,” Saxena said.