Cong., AAP negligence reason for waterlogging issue: Sood

Heavy rain leading to waterlogging and traffic disruptions in parts of Delhi on Tuesday spiralled into a political blame game between the BJP and AAP. Education Minister Ashish Sood alleged that 10 years of negligence and corruption by AAP, and 15 years of negligence by the Congress government earlier, have led to this situation in the Capital.

Mr. Sood said five months is too short a span to undo “years of neglect”, assuring that the government is working to find a solution for the persistent waterlogging issue.

“In the five months that the BJP has been in power, the Chief Minister [Rekha Gupta] and PWD Minister [Parvesh Sahib Singh] have gone across the Capital to find solutions to the waterlogging problem and have been largely successful in the short period,” Mr. Sood said.

Hitting back, AAP said just a 10-minute spell of rain brought Delhi to a standstill despite BJP controlling all key agencies in the city.

“When BJP’s all four engines are junk, the vehicle doesn’t move four times faster – it consumes four times the fuel and makes four times the noise,” AAP said in a statement.

It also said that BJP CM Rekha Gupta and PWD Minister Parvesh Verma had boasted that Delhi wouldn’t flood this year. “If preparations were truly in place, why did the city drown after a drizzle?” AAP questioned.

Responding to a query about waterlogging, Mr. Sood held previous governments responsible for the current situation of the national capital. “We have fixed the problem at Minto Bridge, Dhaula Kuan and several areas in west Delhi. We have done what we can in five months. But the question needs to be asked to those who are responsible for bringing Delhi to this state,” Mr. Sood said.

Mr. Sood pointed out that the BJP, when in Opposition, brought up the “corruption” issue several times.

“We highlighted that there was massive corruption in the PWD. The money earmarked for desilting of drains was not being spent on it, but AAP continuously played the victim card and did not do anything,” he said.

Mr. Sood also said that some leaders were politicising the waterlogging issue when solutions were sought for it.

“On instructions of the Delhi High Court, the Madrasi Camp in Jangpura had to be cleared so that the Barapulla drain that was causing flooding in Lutyen’s Delhi could be cleaned. The residents were given alternate accommodation. Some politician who are questioning the waterlogging in Delhi were raising their voice against the removal of the Madrasi Camp, which was preventing access to the drain,” Mr. Sood said.

Meanwhile, AAP hit back, saying just a 10-minute spell of rain on Tuesday brought Delhi to a standstill despite BJP controlling all key agencies in the city.