Delhi rains: LG holds emergency meeting, officials' leave cancelled

New Delhi:  Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena on Friday took stock of the situation in Delhi after hours-long rain brought the city to a standstill and directed officials to set up an emergency control room and deploy static pumps to address waterlogging reports.Chairing an emergency meeting, the LG said that all senior officers on leave should be asked to report back to duty immediately and no leave should be sanctioned for the next two months, according to his office.

Saxena also took note of the lack of preparedness and an emergency response system in the national capital, the LG office said.

Senior officers of civic agencies like Delhi Jal Board, Public Works Department, Municipal Corporation of Delhi, Delhi Development Authority, Irrigation and Flood Control department and the Delhi Police attended the meeting.

Saxena noted that the de-silting of drains had not been completed and the Flood Control Order was yet to be issued. He asked the officials to undertake the de-silting work on an emergent basis over the next week, the LG's office said.

The LG asked officials to set up an emergency control room for waterlogging complaints. The control room would be manned 24X7 by senior officials, it said.

He also directed various agencies to deploy static pumps and field staff to drain water from roads.

The Irrigation and Flood Control department was directed to remain in touch with their counterparts in Haryana and Himachal Pradesh to assess rainfall levels and discharges from the Hathnikund barrage, officials said.

They said the LG directed the revenue department to activate the disaster response cell under the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) in case of excess rainfall and seek assistance of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) for any emergency measures during the monsoon.