New Delhi: Despite heavy rainfall in the national capital this morning, traffic moved smoothly at Delhi’s Minto Bridge. The seamless movement of vehicles plying have caught many by surprise, however, a bunch of netizens felt 'it's nothing to be proud of' when the city has several other issues to deal with. The over-90-year-old railway under bridge has been prone to waterlogging since India’s independence.
The under bridge is situated at a crucial traffic junction where Deen Dayal Upadhyaya (DDU) Marg intersects with Swami Vivekananda Marg. It connects the prime areas of Connaught Place on one side with the bustling New Delhi Railway Station, Old Delhi, and Darya Ganj on the other.
Viral visuals from Minto Bridge showed traffic flowing smoothly after heavy rainfall in the morning. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) which unseated Aam Aadmi Party in the recent elections was quick to claim credit for the achievement, attributing it to the change in government, despite many parts of the city experiencing waterlogging.
BJP IT Cell head Amit Malviya took to X and said, "Despite heavy rain, traffic moved smoothly at Minto Bridge, once the first to flood with even a drizzle. That’s the change Delhi is witnessing under the BJP government in just a few months! From waterlogged roads to smooth flow, from chaos to order, a real transformation has begun. Delhi will now become the capital India truly deserves. Arvind Kejriwal had reduced it to a dustbin. BJP is cleaning up the mess and rebuilding the future."
Minister in the Delhi government, Manjinder Singh Sirsa said,' Pictures are proof… Change comes from actions, not words! This is the same Minto Bridge that was once synonymous with waterlogging, yet today, even after torrential rain, traffic is seen moving smoothly. Truly, Delhi is changing No task is impossible—just the intent is needed."
Delhi Minister Kapil Mishra, posting a public reaction video said, "Delhi is no longer sinking, it is on the path of development It's the same Minto Bridge, it's the same rain But this time the government is strong-willed."
Netizens React With 'What A Feat'
Netizens on micro-blogging website X have reacted with mixed opinions to the visuals. While many have lauded the BJP-ruled Delhi government for achieving this feat, several others opined with 'what's the big deal about it?' when other localities in the national capital continue to be water-logged.
One of the users said, "Minto Bridge - Traffic running smoothly after a heavy rainfall. We can legit criticize them often, but this is indeed an achievement. Those who are frequent commuters in this area know this stretch remains virtually closed during heavy rains."
Another user lashed out at the media, saying that what should be normal has become sensational because mediocrity has become normal. "Only in India we can see Minto Bridge not flooding after a rainfall is becoming breaking news that merits media coverage. Unbelievable, that what should be normal has become sensation due to normalisation of mediocrity."
A third user said, "It's just a few months and one of the most infamous "Minto Bridge Water Logging" issue is over... Give BJP more time, everything will be fixed."
Journalist Ummashankar Singh said,"It is imperative that the news camera reaches Delhi's Minto Bridge as soon as the rain starts."
"The only achievement of this government in six months is that the 10x10 area of Minto Bridge underpass does not get flooded! 😜😜 Amazing," a user said.
Former Delhi CM and current LoP Atishi Marlena posted a video of a woman using an inflated boat in the waterlogged areas questioning MLA Ravi Negi. "Many congratulations to the @gupta_rekha government in Delhi for starting boating in East Delhi!" her caption read.
The AAP leader shared another video showing school students sitting and standing on their benches in the waterlogged classroom with water level upto their knees.
"The BJP's four-engine government should be ashamed. Knee-deep water has entered the municipal girls' school in Tikri Kalan, but the BJP doesn't care. Where is BJP Chief Minister @gupta_rekha? Where is BJP Mayor @RajaiqbalSingh3" the post read.
The capital city has been experiencing rainfall for a few days, and residents have gotten relief from the scorching heat and humidity. According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), there is a possibility of heavy rainfall in the Delhi-NCR regions. The minimum and maximum temperatures are likely to be around 27 degrees Celsius and 31 degrees Celsius, respectively.
