Heavy rain over the past few days led to severe waterlogging in Delhi
Waterlogging in Delhi amid monsoon fury in north India has become the latest flashpoint for a war of words between the centre-appointed Lieutenant Governor and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government.
Following an inspection of the affected areas this morning, Lt Governor VK Saxena alleged that lack of preparation led to flooding in the national capital. "Waterlogging has become an annual ritual. The necessary preparations were not done and that led to this situation. I will try to ensure that this does not happen again," Mr Saxena told the media following the inspection.
Soon after, Delhi minister and senior AAP leader Saurabh Bharadwaj hit out at the Lieutenant Governor, with whom the ruling party has been locked in a tug-of-war on who controls the capital's administration.
"Hasn't LG saab been claiming that he got all drains desilted and yamuna cleaned? Didn't he take media for several visits? What happened now? Now he is shamelessly blaming Del govt? He should avoid playing dirty politics when people expect relief," Mr Bharadwaj said in a Twitter post.
The national capital is reeling under rain rampage for the past few days. Following heavy downpour this Saturday, several areas were waterlogged and huge traffic jams followed.
The problem was compounded after a dam in Haryana released excess water, causing the Yamuna water level to swell. Several homes near the river were flooded as residents struggled to save their household items from the gushing waters.
The rains also led to severe road damage in prominent areas with craters opening up on key arteries, such as a road near India Gate.