On the other hand, Opposition NCP accused the BJP of corruption in cleaning of storm water drainage in the city.(Express Photo by Arul Horizon)With Monday night’s heavy rainfall submerging almost all city roads, causing much hardship to the citizens, political parties engaged in a blame game on Tuesday, accusing each other for being responsible for the problem.
Jagdish Mulick, the city chief of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), blamed the Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) for the condition. “The Congress and the NCP ruled the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) for 50 years in the past but are now blaming the BJP for its last five-year performance for the situation.
It is the poor and improper planning of development work during the Congress-NCP rule in the city that has caused the situation,” he said.
On the other hand, Opposition NCP accused the BJP of corruption in cleaning of storm water drainage in the city. “The city has witnessed heavy rains in the past but the cleaning of storm water drainage ensured that there was no flooding or water logging in the city. However, the BJP in its five-year tenure was busy in corrupt practices while ignoring the necessary work of cleaning of drains ahead of monsoon. It is due to their pathetic handling of the situation that the citizens are suffering,” said city NCP chief Prashant Jagtap.
Pune received heavy rains on Monday night. (Express Photo by Arul Horizon) Mulick said the BJP was busy in introducing corrective measures to fix “improper development” caused in Pune by the previous regimes. Mulick said the BJP’s city unit would urge the state government to help the PMC set up new infrastructure facilities to avoid a repeat of the flood situation.
Mulick also blamed the previous MVA (Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi) government in the state for the situation. “The civic administration, under pressure from the previous MVA-led state government, had not cleaned up stormwater drains ahead of monsoon so as to blame the BJP for it,” Mulick said.
NCP’s Jagtap, meanwhile, urged deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadanavis to hold an enquiry in awarding of civic contract related to cleaning of storm water drains. “The BJP, in its five-year rule, ignored the cleaning of storm water drains and instead, blamed the Congress-NCP for the situation that arose. The party should apologise to the citizens or face their wrath in forthcoming civic elections,” he said.