Senior Aam Aadmi Party leader and Delhi Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj on Saturday hit out at Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena, alleging that he failed to suspend key officials at the Asha Kiran Home Shelter despite serious corruption allegations.
The Delhi Cabinet Minister claimed that an official, who was previously arrested for bribery, was appointed as the administrator of the said place.
He has claimed that Delhi Legislative Assembly’s Petition Committee attempted to conduct a probe, but was blocked by the administration, and further alleged that it has been neglecting the residents’ basic needs.
Bharadwaj pointed alleging that L-G is shielding corrupt officials and demanded honest, service-minded individuals be placed as in- charge of the shelter home.
Bharadwaj said that for the last two days, the issue of the death of many people living in a home shelter named Asha Kiran in Delhi in July has come forward, and added ,“Almost all the people living in this home shelter are intellectually challenged people and such people are physically weak due to being intellectually challenged and often suffer from diseases.”
“Being intellectually challenged, they are not able to take full care of their food and drink. So in such a situation, it is very important that whoever is appointed here to take care of them, should have a spirit of service,” he said.
The Delhi minister further said that keeping in mind the seriousness of the matter, today a team of MLAs from the Petition Committee of the Delhi Legislative Assembly reached Asha Kiran Home Shelter to investigate the matter, but the administration there did not allow the team, he claimed.
He further said that the team had to stage a sit-in there, while a large number of mediapersons had gathered there as well. So under the pressure of the media, the administration allowed the team to enter, he claimed.
Bharadwaj has alleged that the post of administrator and superintendent in this shelter home is very lucrative, with opportunities for corruption, he suspected.
Bharadwaj also mentioned, “We have also received news through the media that the intellectually challenged people living in this Asha Kiran Shelter Home were not being given proper food nor clean drinking water for a long time and the sick people were not even being treated.”
Bharadwaj also said that a mother and son died after falling into a Delhi Development Authority (DDA) drain, and added as to why has the L-G not taken any action against the concerned officials till now, despite the agency operating under him.