NEW DELHI: It was a deluge that the city was totally
unprepared for and in no time washed away the false claims of government and
municipal agencies that they had done their job. An amount of Rs 23 crore - PWD
spent Rs 20cr and the three corporations Rs 3cr - got drowned in the downpour
in the capital on Saturday. About 100.3mm of rainfall between 12.10pm and
2.30pm brought the city virtually to a halt, flooding roads, underpasses and
colonies, snapping power, stalling traffic, damaging cars and bringing down
walls. At least two Metro stations got inundated and had to be closed while the
showcase T-3 terminal at IGI Airport once again got partially flooded.
That it was the third
heaviest in a day in 10 years - 123mm - made matters worse and plunged the city
into a crisis. Within hours, all the agencies - PWD and the corporations - and
the political parties were indulging in a blame game even as people struggled
to make their way through waterlogged roads. Guiding them through this mess
were the men of Delhi Traffic Police and other cops, standing in the knee-deep
dirty water, drenched but determined. Additional CP (Traffic) Anil Shukla could
barely hide his disgust as he blamed the improper geometric design, clogged
drains and repeated laying of tar on roads for the situation which his men were
trying to deal with to the best of their ability. Delhi Police had put about
3,000 men on the roads.
0 Comments