Kashmere Gate (New Delhi) [India], August 1 : Launching the 'Delhi Ko Koode Se Azaadi' campaign today, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta took part in the cleanliness drive and cleaned piles of waste at the Women and Child Development (WCD) Office, ISBT Kashmere Gate in Delhi.
While speaking to reporters, Delhi CM criticised the previous AAP government for claiming to improve the system in Delhi but failing to do so.
"I am in so much pain that I cannot tell you. These are the offices which claim to improve the system of Delhi. Considering the state of previous governments, under these circumstances, what can our officers do to benefit anyone...Water is dripping...This building caught fire in 2021, despite the fact that this building was not repaired or cleaned. Have these officers been kept here to lose their lives?" she remarked.
Stating that it's her first visit to the WCD office, she said, "This is my first visit here, but seeing the wretched condition of such important committees/departments where there is no cupboard to keep papers, no chair, and one never knows when the fan would fall from the top. Cleaning orders are one thing we can do. They will be completed if everyone gets involved. However, seeing our officers working in such poor conditions is really painful for me."
She accused the previous AAP government of investing 70 crores to build their own "Sheesh Mahals" and not spending any money on office improvements. Gupta said, "They (AAP) didn't get time to invest to fixing offices but had 70 crores to build sheesh mahal for themselves. If they had invested 2-4 crores here, then at least some offices would have been able to do well."
Delhi CM also claimed that she will ensure the construction of new offices for all departments, create a conducive working environment, and provide them with adequate workstations to facilitate effective work.
"An entirely new sector of Delhi should be built where every department gets a place. We will initiate the process today itself. We will find a location for our new sector of Delhi...where all our departments can be accommodated. Despite the current bad conditions, we will not spare our officers and will help them," she added.
On Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, Rekha Gupta said, "Swachhata Abhiyan has started in Delhi from today and it will continue till August 31. Today, we launched a campaign to clean up all the offices. Every officer, every representative in the entire Delhi is engaged in cleaning up their own offices. Today I came to WCD, which is my own department, for the first time. The e-waste, which had been collected here for years, along with electronic waste, rags, files, posters, and other items, is also being taken out from here. Somewhere or the other, there is a need to set all these things right."
Meanwhile, Delhi Mayor Raja Iqbal Singh and BJP MLA Satish Upadhyay also participated in the Swachh Bharat Mission in the Green Park area of Delhi today.