NEW DELHI: Heavy rainfall in Delhi caused fatalities and revealed infrastructure lapses, with BJP and Congress blaming AAP and MCD for the tragedies.
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and Congress are in a heated dispute over the maintenance and upkeep of the national capital. Each party is blaming the others for the deteriorating infrastructure in the national capital.
Earlier this week, Delhi experienced heavy rainfall that led to hours of knee-deep waterlogging, resulting in the deaths of four individuals in separate incidents. A 12-year-old boy was electrocuted after coming into contact with a live wire in South West Delhi’s Bindapur; a 62-year-old man died in a building collapse in the Sabzi Mandi area; and a 23-year-old woman and her 3-year-old son drowned in a waterlogged drain in Ghazipur, East Delhi. Additionally, the city faced a series of incidents, including electrocutions on waterlogged roads, drowning in underpasses, multiple fires, and the recent tragic event at Rau’s IAS coaching centre on Saturday, July 27, 2024, where three UPSC aspirants drowned in a flooded basement library. The Delhi Government and MCD cannot escape blame for these mishaps.
Citing the recent incidents, the Delhi unit of the BJP criticised the Kejriwal-led AAP government and the MCD for inadequate performance. BJP accused AAP of a scam in the desilting of the city’s drains, alleging that the sewage system and stormwater drainage network have completely collapsed in recent years. BJP also called for a CBI inquiry into the matter.
Delhi BJP chief Virendra Sachdeva claimed, “Over the past two years, waterlogging has been observed on both, main roads and residential streets alike, indicating a scam worth hundreds of crores in the desilting of drains. The chief minister, ministers, MLAs, contractors, and some lower-level officials of the Delhi government are all involved, and a CBI investigation is necessary. This corruption has culminated in the incident at Rajinder Nagar.”
On the other hand, the Delhi unit of Congress is demanding the resignation of the authorities responsible for the mishap. They also questioned the role of BJP MPs in improving urban infrastructure.
Delhi Congress President Devender Yadav stated that it was unfortunate and irresponsible for the authorities to engage in blame games instead of taking emergency measures to prevent further flooding. He pointed out that after the first two heavy monsoon spells, waterlogging had already caused the deaths of four Civil Services aspirants in Old Rajinder Nagar and Patel Nagar, and nearly 19 deaths overall in the past month due to drowning and electrocution.
He further expressed shock that even the new Parliament House, constructed at a staggering cost of Rs 1,200 crore, along with posh NDMC areas, underpasses, Bharat Mandapam, and underpasses at Pragati Maidan, were affected by waterlogging. This, he said, exposed the massive corruption in the name of desilting drains.
While retaliating, AAP accused Delhi Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar of failing to ensure compliance with the court-mandated third-party audit of desilting efforts in the national capital.
AAP stated, “The chief secretary was reminded again by the urban development minister on June 5 to send the list of desilted drains for verification. However, he made numerous excuses, such as claiming the matter was under the consideration of the Delhi High Court or that the model code of conduct was in force. These excuses indicate that the chief secretary was trying to withhold details of the desilting process from the minister, suggesting that he was aware that the desilting was not actually taking place.”
AAP further asserted that despite clear orders from the High Court and regular reminders from the urban development minister, the chief secretary did not ensure that a third-party audit of desilting efforts was conducted. Now that the Chief Secretary’s actions have been exposed and the issue is public, BJP is attempting to shift the blame onto the government. However, several videos clearly show that the government was advocating for a third-party audit, while it was the officers, particularly Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar, who failed to ensure it was carried out.