Delhi deluge: AAP's 'mismanagement by 4-engine government' jab draws BJP's ire

India Today

3 days ago

Yesterday was just the day the Aam Aadmi Party was waiting for. Heavy rain in Delhi on Saturday led to the deaths of eight people in two separate incidents, waterlogging across several key areas and the disruption of water supply after the Giri Nagar pumping station in Kalkaji was flooded. The deluge, which turned parts of the city into an impassable mess, sparked a bitter political clash between the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).advertisementLeader of the Opposition and former Chief Minister Atishi attacked the BJP-led Delhi government and said that the flooding of the Giri Nagar pumping station led to a major water crisis, affecting thousands of residents in Kalkaji, Giri Nagar, Govindpuri and Govindpuri Extension.'Mismanagement by the four-engine BJP govt has not only submerged Delhi roads, but caused a water crisis in Kalkaji. The Giri Nagar pumping station is completely submerged. And the people of Giri Nagar, Kalkaji, Govindpuri and Govindpuri Extn are facing several days of water crisis,' she said in a post on X, along with a copy of her letter to Chief Minister Rekha Gupta.
On Raksha Bandhan, Atishi lamented, 'On Raksha Bandhan, the entire city is submerged. People cannot step out of their homes. The collapse of governance under (Chief Minister) Rekha Gupta's government is preventing brothers from meeting their sisters.'During a press conference on Saturday, AAP Delhi president Saurabh Bhardwaj raised questions about the transparency of desilting operations in Delhi. He revealed that despite repeated requests, the Delhi government failed to provide an audit report on desilting, as ordered by the Delhi High Court.Bharadwaj said he had warned Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta about the risk of opening manholes during rains. Bhardwaj also mentioned that he had written to Delhi Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar but received no response.To further investigate, Bhardwaj filed an RTI request, seeking records of the Chief Secretary's actions regarding the audit. The RTI response revealed that no records were found for the 2024 desilting audit, prompting Bhardwaj to accuse the government of deleting records to conceal corruption.'This shows the government is trying to hide information,' Bharadwaj said.Bhardwaj also took a jab at BJP MP Parvesh Verma, saying, "It seems Parvesh doesn't have a watch. Someone please give him one," criticising Verma for inspecting flood-affected areas only after the rain had stopped.In response, Public Works Department (PWD) Minister Parvesh Sahib Singh shared videos comparing waterlogged areas during the AAP's 11-year tenure with clips showing the same spots now free of stagnant water, aiming to highlight the BJP government's progress.advertisementPosting videos on X earlier in the day, Singh showcased areas such as Nigambodh Ghat, Minto Bridge, Mahipalpur and Saket, locations previously prone to waterlogging each monsoon, now clear of flooding, with traffic flowing smoothly.'This change didn't happen by chance,' Singh remarked in Hindi, adding, 'Our government has been working tirelessly to eliminate waterlogging and restore the city, which was neglected under AAP.' The Minister reiterated that while his department is addressing waterlogging, it cannot reverse "11 years of neglect" by the AAP government.The downpour, which led to flooding, began late Friday night, prompting the India Meteorological Department (IMD) to issue escalating weather alerts. By early Saturday, the IMD upgraded warnings from yellow to orange and finally to a red alert by 6:20 am.By 8:30 am, Safdarjung had recorded 78.7 mm of rainfall in the past 24 hours, while Pragati Maidan logged 100.3 mm. The IMD warned of possible waterlogging, traffic congestion and reduced visibility across the city.- Ends
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