Have been demanding ownership of ITO Barrage from Haryana: Saurabh Bhardwaj

Have been demanding ownership of ITO Barrage from Haryana: Saurabh BhardwajJuly 16, 2023New Delhi, July 16 (IANS) Amid the floods in the national capital, Delhi’s ruling Aam Aadmi Party on Sunday accused the BJP and its Haryana government of misleading people regarding the ownership and then, maintenance issues of the ITO Barrage. It said that they had requested the Haryana government to hand over the ownership of the barrage but it did not pay any heed towards this. Delhi Minister Saurabh Bhardwaj said he had spoken about the urgent need to hand over the ownership. “It is imperative for the BJP-led government of Haryana to take immediate action to transfer the rightful ownership of the ITO Barrage to the Delhi government. Despite being owned by Haryana, the barrage was not adequately maintained, leading to the unfortunate consequence of five barrage gates remaining closed. As a result, the water level within the Yamuna surged, causing our regulators to break down, and resulting in severe flooding and the breach of various sensitive areas in Delhi, including ITO, Raj Ghat, and Shanti Van. The safety and well-being of the people of Delhi depend on this handover,” he said.He said that after a week of intense debate and struggle, the BJP finally conceded on Saturday that the ITO Barrage actually belongs to the Haryana government. He said that this acknowledgement came after BJP MP Ramesh Bidhuri, raised doubts about the veracity of the Delhi government’s assertion on Twitter, arguing that the ITO Barrage is Delhi’s responsibility and not Haryana’s. Bhardwaj said that he then informed the BJP that the barrage belongs to Haryana. “Despite the BJP’s eventual acceptance of the ITO Barrage’s ownership by the Haryana government, they are now attempting to divert attention by alleging that it is the Delhi government that has failed to fund the maintenance of the barrage,” he said. He then shared an August 31, 2017 letter by then Delhi Secretary, Irrigation and Flood Control, Keshav Chandra, wherein he said that the ITO Barrage, which originally belonged to Punjab, was among the assets transferred to Haryana during its creation. Recognising this error, the letter appealed to the Haryana government that they transfer the barrage to the Delhi government. This letter referenced a meeting held in 2015 at Haryana Bhavan, where senior officials from both Delhi and Haryana concurred on the transfer of ownership. Bhardwaj said, “The official correspondence from Delhi clearly explained to Haryana the critical link between the Hathni Kund barrage’s water levels and potential flooding in Delhi. We proposed a solution that either Haryana should transfer the barrage’s ownership to Delhi government or take action to open its gates. These official letters serve as a testament to our sincere efforts to resolve this matter through dialogue and cooperation. However, despite repeated appeals, the Haryana government has failed to acknowledge the severity of the issue and take necessary action.” –IANSatk/vd