Delhi is drowning again due to failures of BJP govt: AAP’s Ankush Narang

New Delhi [India], July 9 (ANI): Senior Aam Aadmi Party leader (AAP) and Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the MCD (Municipal Corporation of Delhi) Ankush Narang held the BJP government responsible for Delhi's recurring flooding.
Narang said that despite all four engines of governance in Delhi being under the BJP, the MCD and PWD (Public Works Department) have failed to clean the drains, exposing the hollowness of the BJP's claims that 90% of desilting had been completed.
According to the press release by AAP on Wednesday, questioning the government's repeated assurances of preventing waterlogging, Ankush Narang said the BJP now has no excuses left for Delhi's annual monsoon misery. He also informed that he has written to the MCD Mayor and Commissioner, demanding immediate measures to ensure proper drainage across the city.
Addressing the media, AAP MCD LoP said, "Delhi has witnessed only three spells of rain so far this monsoon. The first lasted barely five minutes, the second around twenty minutes, and today's spell lasted about fifteen minutes. Yet all three have exposed the complete collapse of the BJP government's preparedness. During the first spell, Lal Bahadur Shastri Hospital was submerged. On Tuesday, the entire city was flooded, and today, once again, Delhi has been brought to a standstill. Reports of waterlogging are pouring in from Sangam Vihar and every lane and locality across the capital. The entire city has been turned into a sea."
Narang said, "Today, Delhi has a four-engine BJP government. Rekha Gupta is the Chief Minister, and Parvesh Wahi is the Mayor of the MCD. Yet, neither the PWD drains nor the MCD drains have been cleaned. Waterlogging is being reported everywhere, and roads across the city are submerged. The BJP has turned Delhi into a sea."
Ankush Narang further stated, "This time, the BJP does not even have an excuse because this is its second year in office. It had promised the innocent people of Delhi that it would ensure there was no waterlogging in the city. But today, every road and every street in Delhi is completely submerged."
He added, "The BJP and its four-engine government should be ashamed of misleading the innocent people of Delhi and showing them false dreams. The people of Delhi are suffering immensely due to waterlogging. Every locality in the city is flooded. The BJP, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta and Mayor Parvesh Wahi should be ashamed of the condition they have pushed Delhi into."
Referring to the letter addressed to the MCD Mayor and Commissioner, Narang said, "Lal Bahadur Shastri Hospital getting submerged during the very first spell of the monsoon and the entire city being flooded during the rains on July 6 and 7 is not merely the impact of heavy rainfall but living proof of the administration's complete failure. When it is not rainwater but administrative failure flowing through the streets of the national capital, the responsibility of the civic administration becomes even greater. Today, citizens are being forced to cross waterlogged roads instead of streets while stepping out of their homes, directly endangering their lives and property."
He further said, "On one hand, the MCD and the administration claimed that 90 per cent of drain desilting had been completed. On the other hand, just two days of rainfall brought Delhi to a standstill due to widespread waterlogging. If this is the condition after 90 per cent desilting, then the claim itself comes under serious question. At what level was this desilting carried out, under whose supervision, and with what results?"
Recalling last year's Rajendra Nagar tragedy, Ankush Narang said, "The horrifying incident involving electrocution and waterlogging in Rajendra Nagar is still fresh in public memory. Is the administration waiting for another tragedy before it starts acting after innocent lives are lost? Open electricity lines, damaged poles, exposed wires and the absence of an effective monitoring mechanism in waterlogged areas are inviting another major disaster. Incidents of electrocution and rain-related accidents have occurred repeatedly in Delhi. This is not merely an issue of inconvenience but one of protecting human lives."
He further stated, "Forcing people to walk through waterlogged streets reflects the height of administrative insensitivity. This is not merely a matter of traffic management or sanitation but one concerning public health, disaster management and the rights of citizens. If hospitals, colonies, markets, major roads and residential areas are flooded, it clearly means the government's preparations existed only on paper and not on the ground."
Ankush Narang asserted, "This letter has not been written as a mere formality but to highlight the suffering of Delhi's people and to demand accountability from the administration. If concrete steps are not taken immediately, it will be evident that the MCD and the administration have failed to treat citizens' safety with the seriousness it deserves. I hope immediate cognisance will be taken and the safety of the people of Delhi will be ensured."
Ankush Narang has demanded that the MCD immediately identify all waterlogging-affected areas across Delhi and ensure pumping, cleaning, and proper drainage within 24 hours. He has also called for special emergency drainage arrangements at Lal Bahadur Shastri Hospital, as well as at all hospitals, schools, residential colonies, and major roads.
Further, he has urged the MCD to conduct an immediate joint safety inspection with the electricity department to prevent any tragedy similar to the Rajendra Nagar incident. He has sought zone-wise data to substantiate the claim that 90 percent of drain desilting has been completed.
In addition, he has demanded strict disciplinary action against contractors, officials, and zonal staff whose negligence has contributed to the current situation. Finally, he has called for the immediate activation of helplines, relief teams, and medical assistance to support citizens affected by waterlogging. (ANI)