"Honest taxpayers of Pune have been completely cheated by govt": Supriya Sule on city flood

Pune (Maharashtra) [India], July 27 (ANI): Slamming the Centre over floods in Pune following incessant rainfall, NCP-SP MP Supriya Sule said that the honest taxpayers of the city have been completely cheated by Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.

"The taxpayers are suffering due to the government's mismanagement. My demand is that they have to give a clear package, clean the area, and ensure food and water supply. People's documents have gone missing, children's books have gone missing, and the government has to pay for all this. The honest taxpayers of Pune have been completely cheated by the government," Sule said.

Further, she mentioned that the smart city concept has completely failed.

"Smart city in the country has completely failed. Which city in this country is smart? Such a lot of money has been spent. Money was given for Har Ghar Jal and Har Ghar Nal but in a lot of places, there is no water in the source itself," she added.

Earlier, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar visited flood-affected areas in Ekta Nagar and Vitthal Nagar of Pune city on Thursday to take stock of the situation.

He was seen addressing the issues facing the public in the region and constantly monitoring the situation.

After his visit, Deputy CM Ajit Pawar said, "There was never such an issue of waterlogging or flooding here in these areas but we don't know why it happened this time. We will talk to the locals and ask what they have to say about it. I spoke to them. We will speak to the technical team on this issue about what can be done next and take a further decision. For records and observations, the collector of the city, the commissioner of police and one official from the revenue department and the municipal corporation will come and do the needful."Meanwhile, amid the heavy rain in Pune, the District Fire Brigade on Thursday rescued 70 people who had been stranded in the flood waters in the Nimbjanagar area of the city following heavy downpours.

The IMD has issued an orange alert for Mumbai for July 26 and a yellow alert for July 27.

As the state of Maharashtra faces the effects of continuous rainfall, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde took stock of the situation in the state on Thursday.

Rainfall recorded during the past 24 hours until 8:30 a.m. on Thursday was 44 mm in Mumbai city, 90 mm in the Eastern suburbs, and 89 mm in the Western suburbs. (ANI)