Heavy rains expose Maharashtra's 'world-class' infrastructure claims: Shiv Sena (UBT)

The Shiv Sena UBT on Tuesday criticised the Maharashtra government alleging that the recent spell of heavy rainfall across Mumbai the Konkan region and other parts of the state exposed shortcomings in several major infrastructure projectsThe party claimed that issues related to premonsoon drain cleaning work in Mumbai and the impact of heavy rain on major projects contradicted the governments claims of rapid infrastructure developmentIn an editorial published in party mouthpiece Saamana the Thackeray camp questioned the quality and preparedness of several highprofile projects promoted by the state governmentParty raises questions over Missing Link projectThe editorial referred to the MumbaiPune Expressway Missing Link project and claimed that despite largescale publicity around the corridor it faced problems during the first spell of intense rainfallAccording to the editorial a major crater was reported in the project area on Monday morning leading to heavy water flow at the site and raising questions over the governments claims of smooth and highspeed connectivityThe editorial remarked ldquoThe political handling of the incident has followed a predictable pattern Whenever such structural failures occur the ruling politicians shift accountability to nature to cover up administrative lapses In the Legislative Assembly Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis deflected the blame entirely onto the unprecedented weather conditions He maintained that while the administration had completed all necessary premonsoon preparations the intensity of the downpour exceeded all engineering expectations a defensive explanation that has become standard practicerdquoConcerns raised over other major projectsThe editorial further said that concerns had earlier been raised after potholes appeared on the same Missing Link stretch It criticised the response to the issue and questioned why repairs were required within months of the project becoming operationalThe Shiv Sena UBT claimed that the Missing Link was not the only project facing scrutiny and pointed to issues reported on other major infrastructure projects across MaharashtraThe party alleged that the Samruddhi Mahamarg which was promoted as a major expressway project witnessed potholes and cracks after heavy rainfall It further claimed that a special team had to be deployed for regular repair workMetro leaks and monsoon preparedness questionedThe editorial also highlighted reports of water leakage at metro stations during the ongoing monsoonAccording to the party roof leakages were reported on two operational metro lines forcing authorities to make temporary arrangements to deal with rainwaterIt also criticised Mumbais premonsoon preparations alleging that problems such as open manholes tree falls and waterlogging continued to affect residents during heavy rainfallThe editorial claimed that several people had lost their lives this season due to rainrelated incidentsShiv Sena UBT questions infrastructure recordThe Uddhav Thackerayled party said supporters of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis often highlight his role in major projects such as the Samruddhi Mahamarg Metro network Atal Setu Shaktipeeth Expressway Vadhavan Port Navi Mumbai International Airport and the Missing LinkHowever the editorial claimed that repeated problems during the monsoon had raised questions over the quality of these projectsldquoMondayrsquos structural breach at the Missing Link which effectively washed away thousands of crores of public taxpayers money into a muddy waterfall is the latest examplerdquo observed the Thackeray campThe editorial further questioned the claims made about infrastructure development and asked How exactly is he an InframanWith inputs from IANS