Addressing a press conference, Delhi BJP secretary and New Delhi MP Bansuri Swaraj said due to the shortage of water, people are being fleeced by the tanker mafia.

Earlier in the day, police here began patrolling the Munak canal area to check the activities of the tanker mafia and Water Minister Atishi inspected a pipeline network supplying water to south Delhi residents.

The Delhi government is ensuring through patrolling by additional district magistrates and sub-divisional magistrates across the city that not even a single drop of water is wasted due to leakage from the main pipelines, Atishi said in a post on X.

Hitting out at Atishi, Swaraj alleged that instead of ensuring action against the tanker mafia, the minister is extending protection to them.

"Atishi says that even if the tanker mafia is stopped, not much water would be saved. This is very unfortunate because people facing water shortage are being fleeced by the tanker mafia," she said.

The BJP leader also criticised the AAP government for "failing" to prevent wastage and leakage of water and "misleading" people on the issue.

"I want to ask the AAP government and Atishi how long will they continue to come up with excuses and mislead people. They should come out of their air-conditioned press conference rooms and see the plight of the people," Swaraj said.

On Atishi's letter to Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena seeking a probe into alleged collusion between senior officers and the tanker mafia, Swaraj said the Delhi government faced the Supreme Court's wrath on the issue of the tanker mafia but it was trying to shift the blame on the officers.

The Supreme Court on Thursday directed the Delhi government to approach the Upper Yamuna River Board (UYRB) for water supply as Himachal Pradesh took a U-turn and told the top court that it did not have surplus water to spare.

The court asked the Delhi government to submit an application to the UYRB by 5 pm seeking supply of water to the national capital on humanitarian grounds.