Has the Fadnavis Government Failed Mumbai Amidst Waterlogging Crisis?

Mumbai, May 26 (NationPress) The Shiv Sena (UBT) and Congress have criticized the Mahayuti government and the BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) for causing significant disruption to daily life in Mumbai due to waterlogging after the season's first heavy rainfall.

In a pointed statement, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader and former Minister Aaditya Thackeray accused the government of inadequately responding to the situation.

He shared on X, "The utter negligence of the BJP-led government, which has overseen the BMC for the past three years, has brought Mumbai to a halt today. Areas previously free from waterlogging are now submerged. The Hind Mata, which we made waterlogging-free in 2021/22, is once again flooded because the @mybmc failed to pump out water promptly. Last week it was Andheri Subway and Saki Naka, and now many more regions are suffering due to the BJP’s poor governance."

"Why does the BJP disregard Mumbai so much that they have allowed the city to struggle with half-constructed roads, unmaintained drains, and increased flooding? This is incredibly distressing to witness. This area was made waterlogging-free four years ago. Now, due to the BJP-controlled @mybmc's failure to implement standard operating procedures for the monsoon, it is flooded again," he added.

The president of the Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee, Harshwardhan Sapkal, alleged that the BJP alliance is corrupt, leading to the flooding of Mumbai with the first rain. He questioned where the crores spent on cleaning drains have gone.

He maintained that the BMC and the state government share the blame for the suffering of Mumbaikars, who will not forget the "corrupt group that has exploited Mumbai." He pointed out that roads, housing societies, railway tracks, underground metro stations, and hospitals have been severely flooded.

“After the first heavy rainfall, the streets of Mumbai became inundated due to the corruption within the state government and municipal administration. Roads and railway tracks were submerged. The working-class citizens of Mumbai faced tremendous difficulties commuting to work. Every year, the BMC claims to allocate millions for drain cleaning and pre-monsoon preparations, but when it rains, everything collapses, exposing the reality. Mumbaikars are suffering due to contractors and the ruling party embezzling public funds,” he commented.

“One downpour has revealed the corrupt practices of the BJP, Shinde Sena, and Ajit Pawar. Their achievements are so dismal that they may soon need to visit homes by boat to seek votes in the upcoming elections. Each year, the municipal corporation spends substantial sums on pre-monsoon work, but the question remains: where does this money go? Mumbai is enduring this crisis due to the corrupt alliance among the Ministry, the Mumbai Municipal Corporation, and contractors,” Sapkal concluded.

The BMC presented a budget of Rs 74,427 crore for the fiscal year 2025-26, marking a 14.19% increase from the previous year, making it the largest budget in BMC's history. A provision of Rs 5,100 crore was allocated for the Roads and Transport Department, with Rs 5,545 crore set aside for the Sewage Treatment Plant. In 2024, Rs 249.27 crore was spent on drain cleaning, while in 2025, that amount rose to Rs 395 crore for drain cleaning and silting of the Mithi River, with 31 contractors receiving contracts for this work.

“Despite this significant expenditure, Mumbai's drain cleaning remains inadequate... They have misappropriated the tax funds of Mumbaikars...,” asserted Sapkal. He insisted that the people of Mumbai will not pardon this "corrupt gang plundering Mumbai."