Noida airport waterlogging sparks political row as Akhilesh slams UP government
Waterlogging at the newly-built Noida International Airport following heavy rain has triggered a political spat, with Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav taking a dig at the BJP government while the airport authorities said the "temporary accumulation of water" was cleared within 30 minutes.
Videos circulating on social media purportedly showed water accumulated at a stretch connecting the terminal with the parking area at the Jewar-based airport, with airport personnel working to drain the water.
Yadav, a former Uttar Pradesh chief minister, shared one such video on X on Wednesday morning and posted, "Will boats now operate at the airport? Wherever there is a BJP government, there is mega-corruption!"
The airport authorities, however, said the waterlogging occurred temporarily after a spell of extremely heavy rain on Tuesday and did not disrupt flight or passenger movement.
According to a statement issued by the Uttar Pradesh government on Tuesday night, water accumulated for some time on the road connecting the terminal and parking area following intense rainfall.
"The airport teams immediately swung into action and ensured drainage within 30 minutes, following which movement on the route became completely normal," it said.
The authorities said flight operations and passenger movement at the airport continued smoothly and teams were keeping a close watch on weather conditions.
The greenfield airport, which was inaugurated on March 28 this year, has been developed under a public-private partnership with the Uttar Pradesh government and has been projected as being built to international standards.
The airport authority said the temporary waterlogging was caused by a sudden spell of exceptionally heavy rain and teams were prepared to ensure uninterrupted movement between the terminal and parking area.
"The priority is to ensure passenger convenience and uninterrupted movement amid weather-related conditions," the statement said.
