Mumbai, July 8 (IANS) The ongoing Monsoon session of the Maharashtra Assembly witnessed fiery exchanges on Wednesday as the Opposition aggressively targeted the ruling MahaYuti government over recent monsoon-related crises.

After four days of relentless downpours across Mumbai and Pune — which resulted in fatal tree-fall incidents in the state capital Mumbai and a landslide on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway’s ‘Missing Link’ project — the Opposition launched a scathing attack on the state administration’s preparedness.

Responding to the allegations in the State Assembly, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis delivered a detailed, data-backed rebuttal, capping his speech with Urdu poetry to dismiss the Opposition’s criticism.

Addressing the severe waterlogging and rain situation in the state capital, Chief Minister Fadnavis presented stark meteorological data to highlight the unprecedented nature of the downpour.

“If we look at the data up to July 6, Colaba normally receives 734 mm of rain and Santacruz receives 856 mm for the entire month of July,” the Chief Minister said.

“However, this year, in just six days, Colaba recorded 882 mm (111 per cent of the monthly average) and Santacruz recorded 988 mm (102 per cent of the monthly average).”

The Chief Minister also clarified that 90 per cent of this deluge fell within a narrow span of just four days.

“Mumbai receives an average of 2,318 mm of rainfall during the entire monsoon season, and 42 per cent of that total quota was dumped on the city in just six days,” he added, emphasising the immense strain placed on the city’s drainage systems.

Defending Mumbai’s flood-management infrastructure, Chief Minister Fadnavis told the House that the state administration has actively deployed 990 water pumps — managed collectively by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), and Western/Central Railways — alongside six major and 10 minor pumping stations to flush out rainwater.

The Chief Minister took a sharp dig at previous administrations while highlighting the current Maharashtra government’s transparency.

“This year, 80 per cent of the pre-monsoon desilting was completed on time, and 83 per cent of the silt was removed from the Mithi river,” he asserted.

Invoking past controversies, Chief Minister Fadnavis remarked, “We all remember the notorious desilting scams of the past. When an investigation was launched into the vehicles allegedly transporting the excavated silt, the registration numbers turned out belonging to scooters, auto-rickshaws, and luxury cars. Those days of fake claims and corruption are over.”

Additionally, the Chief Minister confirmed that strict directives have been issued to the BMC regarding the mandatory auditing and management of old, hazardous trees to prevent further fatalities.

Brushing aside intense criticism regarding a recent landslide on the newly constructed extension of the Mumbai-Pune Expressway, Chief Minister Fadnavis staunchly defended the Maharashtra government’s execution of mega-infrastructure projects.

“It surprises me how some people can lie so shamelessly on television even after the project has successfully commenced operations,” the Chief Minister countered.

“Everyone knows the monumental scale of the Connecting/Missing Link project. It was built only because the MahaYuti government had the political courage to pull it off.”

Concluding his address, Chief Minister Fadnavis resorted to a famous Urdu couplet to take a final swipe at the Opposition’s reluctance to take governance risks.

“Girte hain shahsawar hi maidan-e-jung mein, wo tifl kya gire jo ghutno ke bal chale…” (Only the brave riders fall in the battlefield, not the toddlers who merely crawl on their knees…)

“We took the bold decisions, consulted our engineers and officials, and delivered a project that people thought was impossible,” Chief Minister Fadnavis concluded, silencing the Opposition benches.

“Those who never try to walk are the ones who never fall — and they are the ones left with nothing to do but criticise,” he said.

–IANS

sj/khz