Pune: Following severe flooding in the city, political parties have levelled allegations against the PMC officials and civic administration for its inaction. For the second consecutive day, delegations from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Shiv Sena met Pune Municipal Commissioner Dr. Rajendra Bhosale, demanding immediate measures to address flash-flooding, activation of the disaster management department, and disciplinary action against inactive officials.
A BJP delegation led by city president Dheeraj Ghate met Dr. Bhosale. The delegation included MLA Bhimrao Tapkir, former councilors Shrinath Bhimale, Rajendra Shilimkar, Varsha Tapkir, Rahul Bhandare, Sushil Mengade, Bapu Mankar, and Deepak Pawar.
During a press conference, Ghate highlighted that inadequate pre-monsoon drain cleaning was evident, which contributed to the flooding. He criticized civic officials for delaying assistance and providing evasive responses, and pointed out the lack of knowledge and preparedness among newly appointed officials. Ghate demanded that these underperforming officials be sent back to the state government if they do not improve their performance.
Shiv Sena city chief Nana Bhangire also criticized the administration, presenting a memorandum to the commissioner about the uncleaned drains and gutters. He emphasized that the heavy rains have exacerbated the difficulties faced by citizens, who have not received necessary assistance. Bhangire called for the immediate activation of the municipal disaster response machinery.
In a related development, former councilor Ashwini Kadam of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) held a press conference to criticize the BJP. Kadam highlighted the long-standing flood risks faced by residents near Ambil Odha in the Parvati assembly constituency and accused the ruling party of neglecting these issues for years.
She, in presence of Nitin Kadam, questioned why the necessary work was not done during the BJP's tenure and criticized MLA Madhuri Misal for failing to address these problems sooner.
