LG Saxena mandates field inspections to address civic infra failures in Delhi

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NEW DELHI: Delhi’s Lieutenant Governor, VK Saxena directed the establishment of an institutional framework for senior officials to conduct field inspections of Delhi’s civic infrastructure and requested regular reports complete with geotagged images and corrective measures. Senior bureaucrats are required to regularly conduct field inspections of the city’s municipal infrastructure, as directed by Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena of Delhi.

This move came in the wake of the capital city reporting 30 fatalities during the monsoon season due to rain-related incidents, including electrocutions, drownings, and structural collapses.

Saxena’s directive highlighted a “complete collapse of civic infrastructure” in the city, attributing these tragic deaths to “endemic neglect” by state and municipal authorities. He criticised the state government and civic agencies for their failure to address infrastructure issues, which he believes led to the fatalities.

Ashish Kundra, Principal Secretary to LG Saxena, has issued an order noting that “drains have not been de-silted for years” and “sewer lines are choked, causing flooding even in well-planned areas.” Kundra pointed out that this situation reflects a severe lack of senior management oversight. To address these issues, the LG has instructed the implementation of a structured inspection mechanism. Senior officials, including Heads of Departments (HODs), secretaries, principal secretaries, and additional chief secretaries, are required to schedule regular inspections. Secretaries and principal secretaries will inspect facilities every two weeks, while HODs will do so weekly.

LG’s order further added that the inspection reports prepared by Principal Secretaries must be submitted to the Chief Secretary, the LG Secretariat, and the relevant minister. These reports should summarise the core issues identified and the corrective measures taken and must include geo-tagged photographs documenting conditions before and after interventions.