<p>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.</p>.<p>Waterlogging was reported from most parts of Salt Lake, notably the EC and FD blocks, following overnight rains.</p>.<p>BJP Yuva Morcha activists, led by Sanjay Poddar, swam through knee-to-thigh deep water on the streets, raising slogans against the ruling TMC.</p>.<p>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.</p>.<p>"This is not waterlogging, this is state-sponsored flooding," Poddar alleged.</p>.<p>"You don't need to pay club membership anymore, the government has ensured every lane is now a free swimming pool," he said.</p>.<p>Local residents also questioned the TMC-controlled Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation's (BMC) preparedness in dealing with waterlogging.</p>.<p>"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.</p>.<p>"Now even political parties have to swim to be heard," she said.</p>.<p>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.</p>.<p>The civic body could not be reached for a comment.</p>.<p>The BJP is expected to meet the municipal commissioner next week. </p>
<p>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.</p>.<p>Waterlogging was reported from most parts of Salt Lake, notably the EC and FD blocks, following overnight rains.</p>.<p>BJP Yuva Morcha activists, led by Sanjay Poddar, swam through knee-to-thigh deep water on the streets, raising slogans against the ruling TMC.</p>.<p>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.</p>.<p>"This is not waterlogging, this is state-sponsored flooding," Poddar alleged.</p>.<p>"You don't need to pay club membership anymore, the government has ensured every lane is now a free swimming pool," he said.</p>.<p>Local residents also questioned the TMC-controlled Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation's (BMC) preparedness in dealing with waterlogging.</p>.<p>"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.</p>.<p>"Now even political parties have to swim to be heard," she said.</p>.<p>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.</p>.<p>The civic body could not be reached for a comment.</p>.<p>The BJP is expected to meet the municipal commissioner next week. </p>