Mahesh Zagade called for roping in new officials and fresh ideas. (Express photo by Arul Horizon)Even as the Pune Municipal Corporation has squarely blamed the “excess rain” for the recent water-logging in the city that led to absolute traffic chaos and left citizens stranded, former PMC commissioner Mahesh Zagade said “clueless” PMC officials and Pune’s “slothful” citizens are responsible for the current mess.
“I will not blame the politicians for the mess Pune city finds itself in. I will instead blame Pune’s fast asleep citizens and clueless PMC officials for the nightmare that the city is witnessing during every rain,” Zagade told The Indian Express Saturday.
The IMD had declared a yellow alert in the city with a predicted rainfall of 60 mm in the city but the actual rainfall was 105 mm in two hours from 10 pm to midnight on Monday. “This is more than the expected rainfall and falls under the very excess rain category as 65 mm rain is the limit for excess rainfall,” said Pune Municipal Commissioner Vikram Kumar.
PMC officials, Zagade said, are trying to find out the root of the illness besetting the city. “They are neither trying to understand the illness nor are they trying to find a solution to the problem. They need to first understand what is happening and then try to find out the reason behind it. On both counts, PMC officials have been a big failure. Just doing nothing.”
Calling for roping in new officials and fresh ideas, Zagade said, “Some officials have been in the same departments for years, yet they are not in a position to find a solution to the recurring problem. They seem to be least interested in untangling the city from the serious problems. They seem to be going through the motions of the civic job while the city continues to suffer the pain, year after year. We need officials who will act and keep the city’s interest in their heart.”
If officials have been negligent, Zagade said, Puneites too should shoulder the blame for the situation they find themselves in. “Every time it rains, Puneites are water-logged. The city’s traffic goes for a toss. Motorists are trapped on roads for hours together. The same fate is endured by citizens every year. Yet, they do not raise their voice even as their own city is heading towards devastation. Puneites keeping mum for too long is too dangerous for the health of the city and the future generations. There should be an awakening among the citizens. If this happens, the officialdoms will act and act decisively. Otherwise, they will continue to take Puneites for granted,” Zagade said, adding that citizens should change their mindset and force officials to do their job for which they have been appointed.
The former PMC chief said flash floods are going to occur every monsoon due to the change in the October phenomenon. “Flash floods have been happening in the city for 10 or so years. But how prepared are we to face flash floods? We know this is going to happen yet we seem to be least prepared for this,” he said.
Calling for an overhaul of the entire drainage system, Zagade said, “This time, it was once again confirmed that the carrying capacity of the storm water drains and the drainage did not match the kind of rain that pounded the city. PMC needs to immediately do a rethink on this count. It needs to ensure that the natural flows of the nullahs and other sources of water are not affected. It needs to ensure that the nullahs are desilted and there are no obstructions on their smooth flow. This is an exercise which needs to be undertaken much before the monsoon and with all seriousness and purpose. It does not seem to be happening. As a result, we are witnessing flooded nullahs wreaking havoc.”
On the other hand, the incumbent PMC chief Vikram Kumar said, “The storm water drains are designed for 60-65 mm rainfall, based on records of 100 years. The more than excess rainfall led to waterlogging. Also, mud and plastic flowing through the drains created obstructions in the flow of water. The PMC was involved in resolving the issues round-the-clock.” He added that in some places, barricading for Metro rail work obstructed the flow of rain water.
Emphasising that traffic police and the Pune Metro cannot be blamed for last week’s water-logging, Zagade said, “PMC officials are indulging in finger pointing. Instead, they should look inward and introspect on what they did and what they did not do. If they do their own reality check, they will find that they are solely responsible for the current mess of Pune city. Pune Metro or traffic police cannot be blamed for it. It is the PMC which has to control its own territory by effectively monitoring the actions of each agency and controlling them. It can absolve itself by saying that this agency is responsible and that agency is responsible. This is like shrugging its own responsibility and finding scapegoats.”