Chief Minister Atishi on Sunday visited Rangpuri Pahari in south Delhi and said the problems faced by residents here will be solved in a few days. The visit came hours after Lieutenant-Governor V.K. Saxena flagged a “lack of basic amenities” in the area in a post on X.

“After repeated requests from local residents, visited Rangpuri Pahari in south Delhi and Kapashera in south-west Delhi yesterday [December 21] along with MP Ramvir Singh Bidhuri. These areas lack basic civic amenities and services. There is no drainage system, which is why the narrow lanes are constantly filled with silt and dirty water. There is no trace of roads. The power supply is extremely erratic. There is an acute shortage of drinking water, forcing the women to carry water in buckets from the tanker that comes once in 7-8 days,” Mr. Saxena claimed.

The L-G said a large number of residents complained of “power cuts lasting 8-10 hours daily” and showed “inflated electricity bills” contrary to the Delhi government’s claims of providing free electricity.

“I urge the former Chief Minister [Arvind Kejriwal], the current Chief Minister [Atishi] and the concerned ministers of the Delhi government to visit these areas and see the hellish conditions themselves. They should take immediate steps to improve this pathetic situation,” he added.

Reacting to Mr. Saxena’s post, Mr. Kejriwal thanked the L-G for highlighting problems in the city and said in the past as well, whenever the L-G had highlighted certain issues, the government had taken note and fixed them.

‘No development’

However, cornering the ruling party, the BJP alleged that AAP had taken Delhi 25 years back. “Ms. Atishi’s visit came only after the L-G highlighted the conditions of the people living there. They [AAP leaders] have done nothing in the past 10 years and are now running to save the face before the final examination.” Delhi BJP spokesperson Praveen Shankar Kapoor alleged.

Delhi Congress chief Devender Yadav also chipped in, saying, “It was good that the L-G got a first-hand experience of the miserable conditions in which the poor lived, as both AAP and BJP had neglected them”.

“The slum visits of AAP and BJP leaders are mere election stunts,” Mr. Yadav alleged.