Opposition criticises AAP govt over flooding

New Delhi, July 26

Residents of Delhi faced severe waterlogging due to heavy rains for the third consecutive day, prompting sharp criticism from the Opposition. Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee president Devender Yadav condemned the Delhi Government and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) for their inadequate preparations.

“Water Minister Atishi will have no excuses to offer now,” Yadav said. “Despite her repeated assurances of having taken all precautionary measures to tackle monsoon woes, there is no let-up in people’s suffering,” he said. He highlighted that over 1,000 houses in Valmiki Colony at Asola in Fatehpuri Beri were submerged in over five ft of water.

Congress leaders, led by senior leader and former municipal councillor Rajinder Tanwar, waded through the flooded areas to speak with the authorities and provide relief. “The Delhi Government, MCD, DDA and the PWD have yet again failed to ensure that rainwater does not flood this colony,” Yadav said. He recounted a recent incident where a drain overflowed, flooding homes with dirty water, and noted that only Congress workers had come to assist residents.

He criticised the ongoing political tussles between BJP councillors and AAP MLAs. “Whenever colonies, streets and underpasses get waterlogged, the BJP and AAP engage in verbal duels instead of working together to solve the crisis,” he said. “This adds to the problems of the people rather than solving them,” he added.

He also pointed out that despite the flooding, residents struggled to access potable drinking water and children were unable to attend school due to choked drains and sewers.

He criticised Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for not acting on a technical committee’s report to replace the 35-year-old, 3,740-km-long sewer lines in the city.

Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva criticised the Delhi Government, accusing the Jal Board, Public Works Department and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi of failing to address the city’s waterlogging crisis. He alleged a major scam in the name of drain cleaning, calling for the Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) to take suo motu cognisance of the issue.

“Every year, an exercise is undertaken to clean major drains like Najafgarh Drain, East Delhi Drain, Barapullah Drain, Delhi Gate Drain, and around 700 smaller drains. However, it’s shocking to see that this year, most of the drains have not been cleaned,” said Sachdeva.

He pointed out that this monsoon, Delhi is experiencing its worst-ever waterlogging crisis. “In previous years, waterlogging occurred at the start of the monsoon and usually cleared within hours after one or two rains. But now, water remains logged for 10 to 12 hours,” he added.

BJP leader and Leader of Opposition in the Municipal Corporation of Delhi, Raja Iqbal Singh, said, “The AAP government of Delhi and the Municipal Corporation did not make any preparations to deal with waterlogging before the monsoon.”

Singh, who is also a former MCD mayor, noted that markets and residential areas were submerged in knee-deep water, causing significant inconvenience to residents.