Protests and political demands filled the air of Delhi after three UPSC aspirants, two women and a man, died at Rau’s IAS Study Circle in Old Rajinder Nagar when the basement library they were trapped in flooded due to heavy rain in the national capital on Saturday.
Political Protests and Accusations
Leaders and workers of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)government had on Monday also staged a protest outside the Lieutenant Governor’s office in Delhi and demanded action against the commissioner of Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) and others, stating that they were responsible for the death.
AAP leaders attacked BJP, which has been running Delhi’s municipal body for the past 15 years, and said that the city’s poor drainage system was a result of years of neglect under the BJP. “This [BJP] is a party that cannot run an MCD when it can run a country? For five years, these people have ensured choked drains every time there is rain,” said AAP MLA Durgesh Pathak.
“Our party won the MCD elections just six to eight months ago. If after all this no progress has been made over the drainage, then BJP is responsible because it ruled MCD for 15 years,” Pathak told ANI. He also demanded stringent action against the MCD officials questioning their management.
Calls for Accountability
AAP members, holding placards, gathered outside the LG Secretariat and demanded that officials should be held accountable for not acting in time to get drains desilted in the city leading to waterlogging.
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Lieutenant Governor’s Response
Delhi Lieutenant Governor has expressed his deep dismay over the accident. He termed 3 UPSC victims drowned to death by water-logging in the city as “most unfortunate and unacceptable”. In a X (previously Twitter) post, he pointed to administration’s “apathy” as well as coaching institute’s “criminal negligence”. He also promised that the loss of life would be enquired and accountability will be fixed.
Moving Forward
The incident has also triggered a political blame game with politicians raising questions over the accountability of the municipal and the administrative bodies to ensure safety and infrastructure in the city. However, as the political temperature continues to soar, many continue to demand that the focus should be on fixing these systemic issues rather than playing politics in wake of such a tragedy.
Report By: Sonali Sarkar
Publish By: Your News Sources