Pumps, manpower deployed twice overnight to clear waterlogging at Bharat Mandapam

Early in the morning, water had collected again near the gates of the ITPO complex.

A senior official of NBCC (India) Ltd, the government-owned construction company that built the site, said water had collected due to overnight rain but drained out by around 6 am. The official said there had been no blockages or other issues with the drainage.

According to Raj Niwas officials, Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena, who was monitoring the working of departments such as PWD, MCD and NDMC, was informed of the waterlogging at 5 am at gates 5 and 6. “Heavy-duty contingency pumps were deployed for this purpose. When dignitaries arrived at the venue at 10 am for the second-day session, the area was clean, green and spruced up as it was before,” the official said.

The Delhi Fire Services had also brought in a dewatering machine from Ahmedabad, but it was not pressed into service as only a small quantity of water had accumulated.

An official of the India Trade Promotion Organisation (ITPO), which owns the complex, said some water had collected in front of the pathway to Hall 5 due to rain in the early hours of Sunday. “Multiple machines and manpower were deployed simultaneously. The water was drained out immediately,” said the official.

Opposition parties and leaders had hit out at the government after a video of the entrance to the venue at Pragati Maidan, showing accumulated water, was shared online. In a tweet, the Congress’ official X handle said “hollow development” had been exposed.

In response, the NBCC official said, “The video being circulated was taken around 3 am-4 am. Our staff was deployed at the site all night. By 6 am, the area was cleared using pumps.”

The official said there was no waterlogging at the site on Saturday during the G20 leaders’ meeting and the water had been cleared before Sunday’s session.

Meanwhile, Delhi Urban Development Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj also tagged L-G VK Saxena in a post on X and said: “This is very serious. Even after (your) 50+ inspections, if the very main area around Mandapam is submerged in water, then heads must roll. I as Minister of Delhi don’t have control over this Central Govt area, else would have assisted you, sir.”