Prompt repairs to Nira canal could've prevented breach: Yugendra
Pune: Yugendra Pawar, grandnephew of NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar, who contested the assembly election against his uncle Ajit Pawar from Baramati, on Wednesday criticised the standard of works carried out in and around Baramati.Parts of Baramati, Indapur, and Daund tehsil in Pune district faced crop damage and flooding in some residential areas after the heavy rain on Sunday that also caused the Nira right bank canal to breach. Yugendra visited the affected areas on Wednesday and interacted with people who told him that the situation had not turned normal."These canals are old, some are from the British era and needed regular inspection. If they (state administration) reviewed the condition of canals every two to five years, cracks can be repaired and such disasters prevented," Yugendra said.Deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar represents Baramati constituency and claims that he is responsible for the maximum development of the tehsil. Yugendra did not name his uncle but criticised the administration for not carrying out diligent pre-monsoon works."There is some damage in Baramati town and we will have to go deeper to find out the reasons. There has been no casualty. There were pipelines and drains in place, but they were not cleaned before the monsoon. Such incidents are not limited only to Baramati. The state govt spent crores of rupees on the Metro in Mumbai, but its ceiling collapsed. Similarly, the Worli station was flooded after the first rain. Poor work is a problem across the state," Yugendra added.