'Officials became thick-skinned under AAP rule': Delhi minister Parvesh Verma suspends executive engineer

New Delhi: The officials of Delhi government became "thick-skinned" in the past 10 years and they will be made to sweat in the field to burn their fat, Delhi PWD Minister Parvesh Verma said on Friday, as he ordered the suspension of an executive engineer over poor desilting of a drain in the Akshardham area.

The minister's remarks came a day after Assembly Speaker Vijender Gupta wrote to chief secretary Dharmendra over Delhi government officials allegedly not responding to letters, phone calls or messages by the MLAs.

During a field visit on Friday, Verma said, "There are problems everywhere. But we are determined to work hard and get the officials do their job." "The entire system in Delhi was on the verge of collapse. But the BJP government has now hit the streets, and the ministers are carrying out field visits for hours. Stern instructions have also been issued to the officials, and any slackness will not be tolerated," he added.

Claiming that the government officials became "thick-skinned" in the past 10 years (of AAP rule), Verma said, "Just as we are taking up field visits, the officials too have to do the same to burn their fat and do the job. They are paid salaries from the public fund, and they have to do work for the people." Expressing displeasure over no work being done to clean a drain near the Akhsardham Temple in Patparganj, Verma ordered the suspension of PWD executive engineer Ramashish Singh.

The minister also said that capacity is being enhanced to treat sewage water flowing into the Yamuna through drains.

"I have spoken to the chief ministers of Haryana and Uttar Pradesh for treating industrial waste water in the flowing into the Yamuna from drains there," Verma said.