Contradictory Responses from DJB to RTI Queries on “Mukhyamantri Septic Tank Safai Yojana”
GG News Bureau
New Delhi, 16th Feb. In November of 2019, the Aam Aadmi Party government in Delhi, led by Arvind Kejriwal, initiated a program to guarantee the safety of sanitation workers and the proper disposal of waste. It was referred to as the “Mukhyamantri Septic Tank Safai Yojana.”
The plan required the deployment of 80 trucks for cleaning and maintaining septic tanks in the capital. The DJB has made contradictory statements in a series of three Right to Information queries filed between 2021 and 2024.
Vivek Pandey, an activist, has filed RTIs to reveal a missing trail of 160 crores of taxpayer cash. On February 24, 2021, the Delhi Jal Board received an RTI response stating that 5 crores were released by the Delhi government for the ‘Mukhyamantri Septic Tank Safai Yojana.’
The Delhi Jal Board further stated that no funds were used for the scheme during the said period. On December 17, 2021, activist Vivek Pandey submitted another RTI inquiry in this matter and received a contradictory response from the DJB.
According to the response from RTI, the amount allocated for the period 2019-2020 is 50 crores, while the 2020-2021 period is 110 crores. This was in stark contrast to the assertion made by the Delhi Jal Board that it would receive only 5 crores for the financial year 2019-2020.
Recently,I filed another RTI and got this shocking reply.Delhi Jal Board is now claiming that the Delhi govt never released any funds for 'Mukhyamantri Septic Tank Safai Yojna'
So where is the ₹160 crores that it previously said was disbursed by #Kejriwal govt?#AamAadmiParty pic.twitter.com/AfibiPc3Y2
— Dr Vivek Pandey (@Vivekpandey21) February 12, 2024
DJB was unable to provide an explanation as to how funds of 5 crores miraculously transformed into 50 crores in retrospective terms for the period 2019-2020
The Delhi government released a total of 50 crores (2019-2020) and 110 crores for 2019 if we were to consider the latest revelations of the Delhi Jal Board as the ‘gospel truth.’
Having said that, an additional request for information (RTI) submitted by activist Vivek Pandey in January 2024 implicated the AAP government and the Delhi Jal Board in relation to the alleged 160 crore funds allocated for the project.
Vivek Pandey had requested the following information from the Delhi Jal Board.
ü Kindly furnish the specifics of the amount released by the Delhi government for the Mukhyamantri septic tank safai Yojana until January 24.
ü Kindly furnish the specifics of the expenditure incurred for the Mukhyamantri septic tank safai Yojana until January 24th. Additionally, kindly furnish year-by-year details of the expenses.
ü Please provide details of the number of trucks and tanks purchased under the Mukhyamantri septic tank safai Yojana. Please provide details of the amount of money spent to purchase these trucks and tanks until January 24.
ü Kindly furnish the specifics of the staff members employed under the Mukhyamantri septic tank safai Yojana, along with the salary amount paid to them until January 24th.
The Delhi Jal Board’s claim that it has never received funding from the Delhi government for such a scheme was a surprise. As per the RTI response dated February 5, 2024, it appears that there has been no budget or fund from the Delhi government to the Delhi Jal Board till date.
It is unknown what the AAP government previously claimed to have released for the ‘Mukhyamantri Septic Tank Safai Yojana,’ which remains a mystery.
