THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: As the state capital continues to reel under the threat of flooding, the corporation is facing flak from different corners for their alleged inefficiency in resolving the issue. Criticism that the authorities have failed to make any solid intervention, apart from studies and ineffective pre-monsoon sanitation drives, to address the problem is mounting. With the local body elections fast approaching, the opposition parties are planning to use the issue politically against the LDF-led ruling council.
UDF parliamentary party leader P Padmakumar alleged that the Rs 200-crore project for urban flood mitigation continues to remain on paper. Despite the recurring flash floods, the city corporation has failed to ensure coordination with various other stakeholders, including the public works department (PWD), the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), and the irrigation department.
“People are suffering without basic facilities. The heavy rain that lashed the state capital last evening inundated many residential areas in my wards. I have been dealing with distress calls from families, but the entire district administration was non-responsive all night,” said Padmakumar.
He alleged that the pre-monsoon sanitation drive continues to be ineffective. “It’s not done properly. We have been raising the issue year after year, but it fell on deaf ears. The corporation has been a total failure in coordinating various departments, leaving the public at the receiving end,” he said.
Meanwhile, the BJP leadership is gearing up to raise this issue in the council meeting to be held next week. BJP parliamentary party leader M R Gopan said, “They (LDF) claim that Kerala is number 1, but the ground reality is that the public is suffering without even basic infrastructure.
The entire city was flooded and people, including patients, were stuck in their homes all day. The LDF has been ruling this corporation for so many decades now, but they have failed to address the worsening flood situation here. We will expose their false claims and will not let them mislead the public.”
However, the LDF ruling front claimed that flooding occurred because of overflowing rivers and incessant rainfall. Deputy mayor P K Raju said flooding during continued heavy rain is normal.