Delhi civic body caught napping by early monsoon

New Delhi: The early monsoon has cooled the summer heat much to the relief of Delhiites but the city's civic authorities have been indicted yet again by slushy streets, potholed roads and blocked drains.

"It's not hot anymore but travelling through water-logged roads is no joke. The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has been really caught napping," said Shailendra Kumar, a resident of Seemapuri in northeast Delhi.

Delhi Mayor Arti Mehra was left on the defensive. "We are trying to complete the pending desilting work. We started the work way back in March," she said.

Mehra's deputy Divya Jaiswal sounded more positive. "We will soon get rid of all the silt in the drains," he said. "Only low-lying and encroached areas are likely to face problems."

Motorists and commuters, meanwhile, have been left to wade through waterlogged roads.

The MCD control room has been flooded by panic calls from people complaining about dirty water entering their homes, uncovered drains and roads that need to be repaired.

Jyoti Bhatia, a resident of Anand Vihar in east Delhi, is terrified of lurking manholes on flooded streets.

"Last year, a girl was walking ahead of me and suddenly she disappeared. Only her shawl was left floating in the water. As it was a busy road, we were able to save her. But that was enough to give me a nightmare."

Orissa to blame: koda

Jharkhand Chief Minister Madhu Koda yesterday sought to blame neighbouring Orissa after flood waters inundated large areas of Jamshedpur, the state's industrial hub, even as the army was called out to help with relief efforts.

"Orissa opened the gates of two dams without informing us. This caused the flood in Jamshedpur," Koda told reporters yesterday.

"Our government should have been informed... We will ask the Orissa government to take suitable action against the officials involved in the act."

The flash floods have affected over 100,000 people in Ranchi and Jamshedpur.