It was the same story which is retold in Delhi every monsoon. Just a downpour and the city again came to a standstill. Traffic from the office hubs to residential colonies did not move for hours. Those who wanted to avoid getting stuck in their private vehicles opted for public transport, thus straining the already over-crowded metro trains and buses.

Waterlogged roads with just 21.2mm of rain in the city clearly demonstrate the window dressing techniques the authorities have now perfected. The mismanagement stands exposed with one stroke of nature, which doesn’t even come unannounced. Every year Delhi witnesses little raindrops in the name of monsoons, yet we see the roads sink, causing accidents.

All the flyovers and under-passes will do us no good if the connecting roads turn into lakes, and slabs fall off from these giant structures due to poor material used in construction and lack of maintenance. Since everything the city officials are doing these days is in the name of the commonwealth games, I wonder if alongwith the medians and the stadiums, the roads and a functional drainage system could be a part of their ‘revamping list’. The city could stay alive and moving, at least for one season, if crores are spent in a span of few days to show the world what good hosts we are!