Battling a severe power and water crisis in sweltering heat,residents in several places of Delhi came out into the streets demanding basic amenities but Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit had little more to offer than an appeal to "judiciously use" the scarce resources. Admitting the gravity of the situation as protesters spilled into the streets,Dikshit urged the citizens to cut down on power consumption,saying the solution to the problem does not lie entirely with her government. "The demand for power has increased in the neighbouring states and that is why Delhi was facing a difficult situation," Dikshit told reporters after holding a high-level meeting with CEOs of the power distribution companies. In the meeting,which was also attended by top power department officials,Dikshit asked the discoms to come out with their schedule of power cuts and adhere to it as much as possible. In the Assembly,BJP MLAs demanded a special discussion during the Question Hour on the water crisis faced by people which was disallowed by Speaker Yoganand Shastri,prompting the Opposition to stage a walk out. "People in many areas of Delhi are craving for a drop of water in this sweltering heat and the Government is sitting idle. It is violation of citizens' human rights," BJP MLA Ramesh Bidhuri said in the assembly demanding a discussion.
