Pune Guardian Minister Chandrakant Patil heckled by angry crowds as he tries to visit areas affected by rains

Pune: Pune District Guardian Minister Chandrakant Patil on Friday had to face the ire of the agitated citizens of Pune who were ravaged by the unprecedented heavy downpour. The death toll across the district has now risen to 18.

Speaking here after surveying the worst-hit spots in the city and the district, Patil said blamed illegal constructions and encroachments as being responsible for the flash deluge that resulted in massive damage to property and loss of life.

“Illegal constructions and encroachments on various canals led to diversion of the natural flow of streams that led to water entering residential societies and destroying property. The reasons behind these illegal constructions will be investigated. Moreover, why were basic safety measures not followed at the time when these constructions were made?” asked Patil said. He announced that an investigation team comprising of senior bureaucrats would be constituted to enquire into the Pune flood disaster.

He further said that all relief measures for the rain affected in Pune would be applicable under the government resolution (GR) issued at the time of the Kolhapur and Sangli floods. Patil was in Delhi to sort out the BJP’s seat sharing issues with the Sena when the city grappling with the rain fury on Wednesday.

Earlier in the day, irate citizens greeted Patil near the Tangewala Society in the city’s Aranyeshwar area and blocked his convoy, prompting him and his entourage to leave the spot. Five people were tragically lost their lives after the society compound wall collapsed owing to the steady downpour.

Protestors wanted know what Patil was doing in Delhi when the city was being battered by flash floods. Asking him to go back, people said that the Guardian Ministers belated visit was merely for photo opportunity. On his part, Patil, who was heckled by demonstrators, alleged that they were ‘troublemakers’ hired by the opposition parties.

“There were no problems whatsoever. I was there (at Tangewala society) for 20-25 minutes. Genuine citizens told me about their problems. The rest were troublemakers hired by opposition parties,” said Patil. He said that because of the imposition of the code of conduct, he was compelled to put things before the aggrieved citizens in a restrained manner.

More than 3,000 persons in Pune city are lodged in transit camps as Fire brigade teams and nearly 2,000 Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) workers carried out cleanliness drives and relief operations. The India Meteorological Department’s (IMD) warnings of likely heavy rain on the intervening night of Thursday and Friday proved to be a non-starter as the weather remained calm over the city throughout the better part of Friday.