Chandigarh, Aug 20 (IANS) Led by Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Chandigarh President, Vijaypal Singh, the party on Thursday staged a protest outside the BJP-led Chandigarh Municipal Corporation office against waterlogging, the poor drainage system and the deteriorating condition of roads across the city.
Party councillors and leaders symbolically brought a boat outside the Municipal Corporation office, sending a message about the alarming condition of the roads.
The AAP directly questioned the BJP. “After being in control of Chandigarh’s civic administration for so many years, what has the BJP actually done for the city, and where has the taxpayers’ money gone?” the AAP asked.
AAP leaders said Chandigarh once known across the world as the ‘City Beautiful’ under BJP rule has been reduced to a ‘City Waterlogged’ with just a few hours of downpour.
“This week’s downpour once again exposed the administration’s monsoon preparedness and the actual state of the drainage infrastructure. Several major roads and low-lying areas were inundated, people remained stuck in traffic for hours, and vehicles stranded in water suffered engine failures,” the AAP said.
The AAP questioned, “If crores of rupees have been spent over the years on the city’s drainage infrastructure, why does Chandigarh turn into a series of waterlogged stretches after just a few hours of rain? The Municipal Corporation and the administration must publicly disclose how much taxpayers’ money has been spent on drainage infrastructure, storm-water drains, cleaning and maintenance, and why the results on the ground remain so poor.”
The AAP leaders said the issue “goes far beyond waterlogging” and added that hours-long traffic jams, stranded vehicles, stalled engines and commuters trapped on the roads severely disrupted the lives of ordinary residents as people struggled for hours to reach their homes and workplaces.
“The situation has raised serious questions about the administration’s preparedness and accountability,” the AAP said.
The party also expressed concern over reports of roads sinking and breaking at several locations following rainfall.
“If road construction quality and drainage infrastructure are adequate, why do roads repeatedly break and sink every monsoon?,” the AAP asked.
It demanded an independent technical audit of the affected roads and drainage infrastructure, along with complete disclosure of expenditure and construction quality for the projects undertaken using public funds by the BJP-led Municipal Corporation.
Launching an attack on the BJP, the AAP leaders said Chandigarh has a BJP Mayor, the civic administration functions under a BJP-led political establishment, and Delhi also has a BJP government. Yet, when Chandigarh’s roads are flooded, traffic collapses and residents remain stranded for hours, no one appears willing to take responsibility.
–IANS
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