Aaditya Thackeray slams Shinde government over flooding, calls for immediate civic polls

Shiv Sena leader Aaditya Thackeray criticizes MahaYuti government for failing to provide relief during storms and heavy rains.

Calling the Eknath Shinde-led MahaYuti government inefficient, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray accused the current dispensation of failing to provide relief mechanisms for citizens during Wednesday’s storms and heavy rains.

He criticised the government for the flooding in Mumbai, Thane, and Pune following heavy rains.

Speaking in Mumbai, the former Minister stated that the Western Express Highway in the capital, a key route in the western suburbs, was submerged on Wednesday (September 25, 2024). “Such flooding on this highway had only been reported after the massive July 26 rains in 2005,” he said.

Mr. Thackeray accused the government of failing to provide relief mechanisms for citizens during such emergencies. “We, as the undivided Shiv Sena, were always present when needed. But yesterday, no one from the Sena-BJP alliance was on the ground in Mumbai, Pune, or Thane to assist people. Even civic body officials were nowhere to be seen,” he said.

He added that areas like Hindmata in Mumbai, where flood mitigation measures had been implemented during their regime, were also waterlogged. Despite the city having 400 pumps and five pumping stations, they were ineffective in managing the situation, he claimed.

The Sena (UBT) leader further alleged that for the past two-and-a-half years, no appointments had been made for 15 assistant municipal commissioner positions. He questioned how citizens could resolve their grievances in the absence of local representatives and emphasized the need for immediate civic body elections.

Pointing out that civic bodies are currently run by administrators reporting to the Urban Development Department, which falls under the chief minister, Mr. Thackeray criticised the governance of these agencies. He also took aim at Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav, blaming him for train delays and overcrowding caused by the rains.