Opposition slams AAP government for not maintaining roads, drains in Delhi

New Delhi, Aug 1 (IANS) The opposition on Monday attacked the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government for not maintaining the roads and drains in the national capital and termed the massive water logging and big potholes as "criminal negligence".

Delhi Congress unit Chief Ajay Maken said: "The government and the PWD (Public Works Department) have failed to maintain the roads and also didn't carry out any desilting of drains before the monsoon season."

"If only 30 percent of drains along the roads had been desilted in Delhi before July 5, then this is an act of criminal negligence by the government," Maken told reporters.

"And if the government still insists that it has completed desilting of drains then it is corruption by them," he added.

The Congress leader's remarks comes two days after a 45-year-old man was crushed to death in south Delhi's Vasant Kunj area by a dumper after his bike got stuck in a pothole.

Maken said the desilting process of drains needs to be completed before June 15, but the AAP government didn't pay heed to the issue.

Taking a pot shot at the Central government, Maken said: "Neither the Delhi government nor the Central government is paying attention to the condition of Delhi."

"They are busy in fighting and the people of Delhi have to face the consequences," he added.

Delhi Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) unit chief Satish Upadhyay, attacking the Aam Aadmi Party government, said the Vasant Kunj accident reflects criminal negligence on the part of the Delhi Government.

"The negligence of PWD is accountable for the death of an innocent person who fell in the pothole," Upadhyay said here.

"The officials of DJB (Delhi Jal Board) had full knowledge about the pothole due to which a person lost his life, but nobody cared to cover it," the BJP leader alleged.

Upadhyay also attacked Delhi Transport Minister Satyendar Jain and said: "Jain's reaction on the incident is condemnable."

"He tried to put the responsibility of the Vasant Kunj incident on Police. It is indicative of his insensitivity," he said.

Jain had on Sunday accused Delhi Traffic Police of stopping repair work on the road, and ordered a magisterial probe into the case. The Delhi Traffic Police refuted his charge.

Jain said that the PWD had written three letters to Delhi Traffic Police on July 8, 14 and 21 over conducting repair work on three roads, including Mehrauli-Mahipalpur Road where the accident took place, but they never replied and stopped the PWD from carrying out repair works.