Several areas in Pune flooded, NCP and BJP blame each other

NCP MP Supriya Sule, whose constituency Baramati has some areas under PMC jurisdiction, visited multiple locations and criticised the ruling BJP in the PMC for not completing the work of reconstructing the retaining wall at various nullahs in the area.

“The retaining wall in Katraj area had collapsed two years ago due to heavy rain. The NCP corporators had urged the mayor and civic administration to take up reconstruction of the wall on priority basis. The ruling party ignored it and the damage done by rain now is because of the lackluster approach of the ruling party. The issue will be taken up on Friday during the weekly meeting with Guardian Minister Ajit Pawar,” she said.

Mayor Murlidhar Mohol of BJP hit back at Sule, saying the Congress and NCP had been in power in the PMC for 35 years, so blaming the current ruling party in PMC for the situation was wrong as it has been in power for only three years.

“The problem area that the NCP MP is referring to has been represented by her party corporators, who have held various high offices in the PMC for a long time. They spent a lot of money on development but the work is not visible. The responsibility is not only with the ruling party but with every one. If the NCP had performed with a vision, then this situation would not have arisen in the city,” he said.

The mayor said the city had seen 74 mm rainfall in a day last year in Katraj area, which had led to flooding of Ambil Odha and heavy damage to houses alongside the nullah. “97 mm rain was recorded in the same area on Wednesday but the damage due to it was comparatively less than last year because of the efforts of the disaster management cell of the civic body,” said Mohol.

He also visited many places in the city that witnessed flooding due to the heavy rain.

City NCP chief and Hadapsar MLA Chetan Tupe also surveyed areas in his constituency to ascertain the extent of the damage due to heavy rain and instructed the administration to take up reconstruction work at the earliest.