2 weeks Ago
Vadodara: The Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC) general board meeting on Monday turned heated as BJP councillor Ashish Joshi and municipal commissioner Dilip Rana engaged in a bitter verbal exchange over drainage water issues in Joshi's ward. Joshi, who represents ward 15, initially raised concerns about local problems, but the discussion quickly escalated into a shouting match as Rana attempted to respond. Joshi said the residents had already suffered during recent floods and demanded action on the drainage issue .
When Rana stood up, Joshi asked him to sit down, prompting Rana to retaliate with the same demand. Speaking to TOI, Joshi said he had repeatedly flagged the issue of overflowing stormwater drains from Kala Darshan to Shastribaug since Jan. "Rana had assured a visit to the area but never came.
The problem remains unresolved, and people in my ward continue to suffer. That's why I got angry," he said. According to Joshi, the drainage line simply needed cleaning, which did not require a tendering process.
"Instead of addressing the issue, the commissioner kept making excuses, forcing me to raise my voice. I even urged him to escalate the matter to the chief minister's office," he alleged After the meeting, Rana told mediapersons that Joshi had spoken inappropriately and unnecessarily dragged the CM's name in the discussion. "I advised him not to mention the CM and to maintain decorum," Rana said, adding that he would report the incident to the CM's office.
Congress councillor Chandrakant Srivastava and some others from the BJP attempted to mediate, but tensions remained high. Later in the evening, Mayor Pinky Soni visited the affected areas and directed officials to clean the choked drainage lines by Tuesday..
