New Delhi, Apr 26 ( PTI) The Delhi government has put restrictions on leaves for officials of PWD, DJB and Irrigation and Flood Control departments till September 15 in preparation for the upcoming monsoon, officials said on Saturday.

According to the General Administration Department (GAD) order, leave of any kind will not be approved or recommended at any level of junior engineer and above till September 15, except in case of extreme medical emergency, they said.

  “As the monsoon is approaching, work has to be carried out on war footing to complete desilting of drains, prevent waterlogging and flooding, repairs of roads and removal of debris and silt on the roads and drains across the city,” said the order.

Over the past few years, the authorities have identified more than 400 waterlogging spots across the national capital.

The BJP government has claimed that steps are being taken to make Delhi waterlogging-free.  The issue has become a recurring feature during monsoons due to multiple factors, including old drains and silt accumulation. Last year, it even led to the deaths of three students in Delhi’s Old Rajinder Nagar after they were trapped in a flooded basement of a coaching centre.  Water and PWD minister Parvesh Verma has said that all the 1,400 km of drains under the Public Works Department are to be desilted by May 31, and other agencies are also working to clean the drains under their jurisdiction.

Verma also said that engineers were deputed as incharges to ensure no waterlogging occurs at around 345 of the identified waterlogging spots under PWD, warning that strict action would follow if they fail.

  He said automatic pumps have been deployed with operators on duty in shifts to deal with waterlogging in case of heavy downpours during the rainy season.

The monsoon in Delhi officially commences from June end every year. PTI SSM AMJ AMJ AMJ