Patil apologises to Pune citizens for inconvenience after torrential rains

Maharashtra minister Chandrakant Patil on Wednesday apologised to the residents of Pune for the inconvenience caused to them as a result of unprecedented rains

Maharashtra minister and senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Chandrakant Patil on Wednesday apologised to the residents of Pune for the inconvenience caused to them as a result of unprecedented rains.

Two persons died in rain-related incidents, while more than 500 people were evacuated from low-lying areas in Pune district reeled after unprecedented downpour during the intervening night of Monday and Tuesday night. The Shivajinagar area had recorded 104 mm rainfall in about five hours till 3 am on Tuesday, Magarpatta 116 mm and the Pashan locality 94 mm rainfall during the same period, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

Talking to reporters here, Patil, who is also Pune district guardian minister, said, "I apologise to all the people of Pune for the inconvenience caused after heavy rains lashed the city as well as the district. The city reported intense spells of rain. I will study what led to multiple problems after rains. We will review the situation and accordingly make plans to avoid the recurrence of such incidents in future."

"We have scheduled meetings with multiple bodies, including the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC), Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal (PMPML), police officials and Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority (PMRDA) to discuss the issue. A review of the entire district will be taken during the meeting," he said.

Several areas in the city, including Market Yard, Sinhagad Road, Hadapsar, BT Kawade Road, Katraj, NIBM Road, Kondhwa, among others, reported severe waterlogging due to heavy rains.