The BJP and the Congress in Odisha lambasted the ruling BJD on Monday over the waterlogging problems in the twin cities of Bhubaneswar and Cuttack, as roads, houses and hospitals lay inundated due to heavy rainfall in the state.
The two opposition parties wondered where and how the money allotted for improving the drainage system in the cities had been spent, as it asked the administration to wake up from "slumber".
Heavy rain since Saturday clobbered large parts of the state as a depression over the Bay of Bengal intensified into a deep depression and crossed the coast near Chandbali in Bhadrak district.
Bhubaneswar received 195 mm rainfall during a 24-hour period till 8.30 am on Monday, breaking a 63-year-old record. Vehicles were seen floating on water near the ISKCON temple in Nayapalli area of the city, where gushing water swamped homes and markets.
An ambulance, which had got stuck on its way to a hospital, was seen being pushed to a dry patch of road by locals.
Some houses in Dumuduma locality have developed cracks, locals claimed.
Odisha BJP general secretary Golak Mohapatra stated that a mega drainage plan, at an estimated budget of Rs 1,000 crore, was proposed in 2018 to free the capital of waterlogging, but no action was taken thereafter.
"Every year, people in the (state) capital face waterlogging," Mr Mohapatra tweeted.
The state Congress sought to know from Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik how much have been spent over the years to make Bhubaneswar a smart city.
"Look at the condition of the city in heavy rain. Where's all the money gone? Govt is far from making the city Smart!!" it tweeted.
The party posted a purported video of waterlogging in Acharya Harihar Cancer Hospital in Cuttack, saying that patients and their attendants were facing a lot of trouble. "If top hospitals can't be secure, what more you expect from this govt?" it asked.
BJP leader Aparajita Sarangi also castigated Mr Patnaik over the drainage network.
"This is our "SMART" Bhubaneswar today (Sunday)! After 21 years of governance, this is what it is!" the Bhubaneswar MP tweeted on Sunday night along with some photos of the city's inundated areas.
She highlighted that the parliamentary standing committee had advised the Odisha government for a drainage development plan and its early execution, and asked the ruling party if it was "lethargy or indifference" that caused the delay in its implementation.
Ms Sarangi also visited Bhubaneswar railway station area on Monday morning, alleging that there was no drain, no disposal and only "suffering everywhere".
"Tell us -- we are there to support you. But the governance is yours," she tweeted, tagging the chief minister's office.
"Pl (please) wake up from "Kumbhkaran" slumber; 21 YEARS! Residents of Bhubaneswar will have to take to streets," Ms Sarangi added.
In a retort to the BJP leaders, BJD spokesperson Amar Patnaik dug out a purported video posted in June about an inundated road of Varanasi, the constituency in Uttar Pradesh represented by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
"What do you say to this? Lack of political will? Absence of comprehensive master plan?" he asked, taking a dig at the BJP.
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