Stormwater disposal becomes burning issue during poll campaigning

The death of two persons in a waterlogged underpass recently has exposed the 'competence' of the civic bodies in providing disposal system for the stormwater and sewage waste in the city. It has also provided fodder for an attack for the candidates of the opposition political parties or the Independents contesting elections from the six Assembly segments.

“Though the poor civic infrastructure remains one of the most common issues for the opposition parties and their candidates in any of the election, the recent incident of the death of two bank officials in a waterlogged underpass has led to public anger, making it a burning topic in wake of the publicity attained through media,’’ said Devinder Singh Surjewala, a political analyst. He said the contestants belonging to the opposition parties could easily cash in as the incident was concerned with common man and would haunt them for some time.

The incident has not only put the ruling party on back foot regarding their claims on achievements, it is likely to be used as a weapon to woo voters, said Vishnu Goel, a resident.

Admitting the severity of the problem, Dhanesh Adlkaha, BJP candidate from Badkhal, said that the drainage and sewage disposal needs overhauling. He promised to transform the civic infrastructure in the segment within 100 days, if elected.

Vijay Pratap, the Congress candidate from this seat, alleged that while the BJP rule has failed to provide an efficient civic infrastructure in 10 years, the problem had been a cause of concern in the city. ''The ruling party is certain to face backlash in the ongoing campaign as it has exposed the false claims and alleged corruption in the administration,'' said Abhash Chandila, AAP candidate from Tigaon seat here. Blaming mismanagement and corruption, he said the BJP has been left with no moral right to seek the mandate for a third time.

Parag Sharma, Congress candidate from Ballabgarh, said that failure to give due importance to civic issues had made the people suffer, despite paying taxes. Electing the MLA’s simply on the basis of caste or short term lures has made things worse, she added. Neeraj Sharma, Congress candidate from NIT, said the issue was being taken up prominently in the campaign.

The problem of stormwater disposal has been aggravated due to lack of cleanliness and maintenance of drains, which had either been choked or not connected with disposal outlets, said an official on the condition of anonymity.