AAP MLA slams govt over waterlogging

Senior AAP leader and Burari MLA Sanjeev Jha on Sunday launched a scathing attack on the BJP-led Delhi Government, accusing it of failing to tackle the Capital’s annual waterlogging woes despite repeated promises and massive Budget allocations.

Jha said even a light spell of rain was enough to expose the inefficiency of what he termed the BJP’s “four-engine government”. He cited severe water accumulation in Shalimar Bagh — Chief Minister Rekha Gupta’s own constituency — as evidence of the administration’s hollow assurances.

“In just a few showers of the monsoon, all four engines of BJP’s ‘Phulera Ki Panchayat’ government in Delhi have drowned. The BJP has completely failed to prevent waterlogging in the Capital,” Jha said.

He pointed out that BJP leaders had promised a waterlogging-free Delhi this monsoon and conducted multiple photo-ops to showcase preparations. “Before the rains, Delhi’s L-G, CM and ministers claimed that over 400 vulnerable spots were identified and nodal officers deployed. They also declared that previous waterlogging points had been resolved. But the reality is for everyone to see,” he added.

Explaining how the city’s drainage network functions, Jha said drains were maintained by three agencies — the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), the PWD and the Irrigation and Flood Control Department. According to him, poor coordination and incomplete cleaning of drains at various levels have choked the entire system.

“PWD’s own data shows it has 2,140 km of drains, of which 840 km remain uncleaned —nearly 40 per cent. MCD has around 800 km of drains, with 150–200 km still untouched. Of the Irrigation Department’s 23 major drains, 8-10 are still partially cleaned. Smaller drains feeding into these remain clogged too,” he said.