Delhi govt to give ₹10K to flood-affected families

Kejriwal said the government was pumping water out from waterlogged roads and life was returning to normal

Chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday announced that Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)-led Delhi government will provide financial assistance of ₹10,000 to each flood-affected family, adding that special camps will be set up for the people whose Aadhaar cards and other documents were washed away in the calamity.

A view of Yamuna Khadar after the floodwater receded near Mayur Vihar, in New Delhi on Sunday. (Sanjeev Verma/HT)

“The government will set up special camps for the people whose Aadhaar cards and other key documents were washed away in the flood. We will arrange for school uniforms and books for students,” Kejriwal said. The CM was visiting the Mori Gate flood relief camp to inspect the relief measures for the those displaced by the floods.

Kejriwal said the government was pumping water out from waterlogged roads and life was returning to normal. Delhi ministers, the CM and LG VK Saxena inspected various flood-affected areas and oversaw relief work.

The CM said the government established relief camps, primarily in schools and dharmashalas, to provide necessary amenities such as toilets and clean water. Considering the current muddy conditions in the affected areas, as the water recedes, efforts will be made to cover the sludge with dry soil to expedite the drying process, he added.

Kejriwal said that pumps were being used to reduce the water level in the affected areas. “The progress varies across different locations, but the water level has gradually decreased to 205.9 metres, with further receding expected in the coming days. Delhi will soon return to normalcy,” he added.

On Saturday, the Delhi government issued orders making six ministers in-charge of six flood-affected districts to monitor and supervise rescue, relief, and rehabilitation work.

Meanwhile, Delhi BJP spokesperson Praveen Shankar Kapoor said that the AAP government first failed to prevent the flood and later in making adequate relief arrangements for those affected by it, as a result of which there was widespread resentment among the people. “To silence any political fall-out Kejriwal has announced a cash relief and soon we may find a new scam in compensation distribution as we saw the case of construction labour and auto drivers during Covid,” said Kapoor.