New Delhi: As Delhi grapples with a severe water crisis, Water Minister Atishi penned a letter to Delhi Police Commissioner Sanjay Arora on Sunday, requesting increased patrolling of key water pipelines in the national capital, media reported.

She urged the commissioner to deploy police along major water pipelines and enhance patrolling efforts for the next 15 days.

In her letter seeking cooperation from Delhi Police, Atishi writes, "I am writing to request the deployment of police personnel to patrol and protect our major pipelines for the next 15 days."

Amid the development, AAP MLAs reached Union Jal Shakti Minister CR Patil’s residence in Delhi.

Speaking with news agency ANI, AAP MLA Rakhi Birla said, "It is unfortunate that we gave a letter to Minister CR Patil yesterday, and today our delegation visited his residence to meet him, but we are getting the information that he is not at his residence. We want to request that the minister pay attention to the issue of water shortages in Delhi."

However, BJP MP Kamaljeet Sehrawat from West Delhi said Atishi should manage the Water Department efficiently to deal with the problems at the core and avoid the severe water scarcity.

Criticising AAP, she said, "The Delhi government is blaming other state governments for the water shortage, whereas the problem lies within their department... I request Atishi not on humanitarian grounds, but as a minister in the Delhi government, she needs to take care of her department."

Accusing the AAP government over the intense water crisis in the national capital, she said that the people of Dwarka have been that "they are unable to avail government tankers" and private tankers cost a lot of money.