BJP workers swim on waterlogged streets of Salt Lake in protest over 'civic mess'
Credit: X/@@SudhanidhiB
Kolkata: Members of the BJP's youth wing on Friday ditched placards for swimming strokes to protest against the civic mess in Salt Lake's waterlogged lanes.
Waterlogging was reported from most parts of Salt Lake, notably the EC and FD blocks, following overnight rains.
BJP Yuva Morcha activists, led by Sanjay Poddar, swam through knee-to-thigh deep water on the streets, raising slogans against the ruling TMC.
Residents watched from balconies, phones in hand, as saffron-clad young men breast-stroked their way through accumulated rainwater, a surreal image in what was supposed to be one of the state's planned townships.
"This is not waterlogging, this is state-sponsored flooding," Poddar alleged.
"You don't need to pay club membership anymore, the government has ensured every lane is now a free swimming pool," he said.
Local residents also questioned the TMC-controlled Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation's (BMC) preparedness in dealing with waterlogging.
"Every year we complain, every year the civic body says 'we are working on it'. But the moment it rains for more than a few hours, the same roads go underwater," said Arpita Ghosh, a retired schoolteacher who lives in the EC Block.
"Now even political parties have to swim to be heard," she said.
The protest took place just a few hundred metres away from the BMC office. Police eventually intervened and asked the protesters to disperse, citing safety concerns.
The civic body could not be reached for a comment.
The BJP is expected to meet the municipal commissioner next week.