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- INDIA
There is no respite from the monsoons and yet again, our NCR has laid bare the sorry state of affairs of our roads, the non-existent drainage system, and the pathetic water-logging all over. We can once again thank the shabby Municipal Corporation and unconcerned officials. A spell of heavy rain exposes the fact that shortcuts and patchwork don’t work and that the local authorities remain as negligent as ever – a familiar story year after year.
We cannot ignore this crisis that hits us time and again but our government seems to be a pro in ignoring issues that are critical. Unless corrective action is taken immediately, we will have our NCR collapsing in a heap, literally.
Our local governing bodies need to be sensitive to what the public is facing on a daily basis… They also need to be determined in solving these problems with an urgency. The dangers hovering around us are frightening. A daily commute is not fun and comes with hazards in various forms. It revolves around dodging potholes, weaving through traffic jams, tackling dangerous driving, and avoiding accidents. So where exactly is this great infrastructure that we supposedly have in place in our millennium cities?
An apathetic attitude and lethargic civic body has led to the collapse of our Capital. The sense of chaos and disorder one sees in every corner bespeaks our current state of affairs on a whole. As things stand now, it is very likely that potholed roads, garbage heaps, clogged drains, traffic snarls and piles of debris generated would greet locals and those visiting Delhi on a daily basis. The highways and various fly-overs are also in dire straits. The ongoing construction work on numerous over-bridges and under-passes has further compounded the ordeal on the road of the commuters.
The rubble generated from the ongoing metro construction work is being heaped along the major roads of the city, worsening the plight of the commuters.
Interestingly, the authorities entrusted with the responsibility of setting things right are conveniently using the rain as the proverbial fig leaf to cover their abysmal callousness and failure to rise to the occasion. Expressing concern over the sorry state of things in the capital city, many residents have taken to social media to highlight their woes.
On the other hand, our authorities are negating things by their idleness and callousness towards the responsibility they are entrusted with. The rainy season continues till the end of September and it would, thus, be foolhardy to wait until then for our leaders to wake up and take charge. If the authorities continue to wait for the rains to stop to get their act together things are only going to get worse.
The apathy of the government towards the condition of people living in the NCR has drawn reactions from all walks of life. People have been flooding Twitter and Facebook with pictures and comments, some trolling, some voicing their grievances. Like someone said: The rains are an annual phenomenon…
It is preparedness that matters and the NCR is never prepared!
Dismal governance seems to be trending lately. Civic agencies are specialists in turning a blind-eye to all important issues. Our fate: traffic congestion involving bumper to bumper traffic in most places, water logging and flooding, and a long wait to reach any destination. Many vehicles have also suffered a breakdown due to the roads inundated with water.
As the showers continue, so do our problems… All the accumulated and contaminated water mixed with piles of unattended garbage will soon lead to a surge in water-borne diseases. Another national calamity awaits us…just around the corner.
