The first proper spell of rain in the season has exposed the claims made by the government regarding preparations for the monsoon, said the Uttarakhand Pradesh Congress Committee president Pritam Singh. Following rise in the water level of Rispana and other rivers in Dehradun following heavy rain, the PCC president Pritam Singh visited various affected localities especially in the areas along the Rispana river in Raipur and Rajpur on Wednesday. Visiting the areas where damage had been sustained due to the river swollen following heavy rain, the PCC president questioned why no one from the district administration had reached the affected areas where citizens were facing problems.
It is pertinent to mention here that as constructions have continued along the banks of the Rispana and Bindal rivers, narrowing the channels of these rivers, the monsoon brings with it problems for the residents as the rivers which generally remain dry for most of the year swell with rain water causing water logging in the localities. Following heavy rain in the region from the morning hours, various localities along the banks of the Rispana suffered from water logging with embankments and a few constructions also being damaged in some localities. The PCC president visited various wards in the Raipur and Rajpur area where water logging had affected various families. The locals gathered and spoke of their condition to the PCC president while also expressing dissatisfaction at the absence of public representatives and officials of the district administration. Singh had telephonic conversations with the Garhwal commissioner and the Dehradun district magistrate, informing them about the homes damaged by water logging. He asked for immediate relief to be sent to the affected localities. He also expressed dissatisfaction at the absence of administrative officers, employees and public representatives in the affected area about five hours after the situation was affected. Singh said that the first proper rain of the season had exposed the governmental claims regarding preparations for the rainy season. Holding the state government responsible for the damage being caused by rains across the state, the PCC president said that the people are facing hardships due to the consistent rainfall in the mountains.
The roads linking to the district headquarters are also broken at various locations. Due to this, people in the affected areas are also having to purchase items for the daily needs at higher prices. The transport facilities badly affected due to the insensitivity of the state government. Referring to Dehradun, Haridwar, Udham Singh Nagar and Haldwani, the PCC president further said that there was hardly any city in the plains which had not been waterlogged following the rains.
He said that due to lack of proper drainage facility, the roads in areas under the urban local bodies had been submerged. Due to this, the students and citizens were not even able to come out of their homes, he said. “On the one hand, the government is talking of making Dehradun a smart city and considering expansion of municipal corporation limits despite opposition of public representatives while on the other hand, the first rain of the monsoon has exposed the functioning of the municipal corporations,” opined Singh. Former MlA Rajkumar, party members and local residents were among those present with the PCC president.