Raj Niwas, Bharadwaj spar over city’s ability to deal with heatwave

On Wednesday, as Delhi experienced a severe heatwave, Raj Niwas wrote to Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar, asking him to take measures to protect the city residents from the intense heat.

The letter, written by Lieutenant-Governor V.K. Saxena’s Principal Secretary, stated that Raj Niwas was issuing the directions because of the Delhi government’s “lack of sensitivity and seriousness in dealing with the heatwave”.

In response, Delhi Health Minister and senior Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Saurabh Bharadwaj accused the L-G of “misleading people”. He said the Health Department has been working on a heatwave plan since March 8 and that advisories “are being regularly sent to all departments, including hospitals, dispensaries, schools, and CATS (Centralised Accident and Trauma Services) ambulance service”.

Relief measures

Raj Niwas directed that construction work at all sites in the national capital be halted between 12 p.m. and 3 p.m. daily, and air coolers and adequate drinking water, as well as coconut water, be provided to labourers. The L-G had issued the directions earlier this month on May 20. But on Wednesday, Raj Niwas said the measures will remain in force till the maximum temperature stays above 40 degrees Celsius.

Raj Niwas’s letter to the Chief Secretary stated, “He [L-G] had expected that the Chief Minister or the Minister concerned would convene a meeting for a heat action plan in the city. The lack of sensitivity and seriousness in dealing with the heatwave is a matter of grave concern for him.”

Following Raj Niwas’s letter, the Minister wrote to Mr. Saxena saying, “On March 8, all the CDMOs (Chief District Medical Officers) were sent guidelines regarding measures to manage heat-related illnesses, which included advisories regarding daily recording and reporting of heatstroke cases, availability of adequate quantity of ORS (oral rehydration solution) and essential medicines, etc.”

Mr. Bharadwaj said lakhs of people were rendered homeless by Central agencies through demolition drives. He said the Delhi Development Authority, which reports to Mr. Saxena, had destroyed shelters for the homeless, but no action had been taken against the errant officials.