Noida: Waterlogging at the underground walkway of Noida International Airport (NIA) has triggered a political war of words, with opposition parties alleging poor construction at the recently operational airport.Samajwadi Party chief and former UP chief minister Akhilesh Yadav targeted BJP govt over the incident. Sharing a video of the waterlogged walkway on X, Yadav wrote, “Will boats now operate at the airport? Wherever there is a BJP govt, there is rampant corruption.”Aam Aadmi Party also criticised govt over the incident. “Noida International Airport, built at a cost of around Rs 11,200 crore and inaugurated by Prime Minister Modi just six months ago, appeared to expose the alleged corruption of the government and substandard construction when it faced its first spell of rain today,” the party said in a post on X.Congress also shared a video of the waterlogged walkway with the caption, “The state of Noida International Airport under Narendra Modi’s corrupt guidance.”However, BJP MLA from Jewar Dhirendra Singh visited the spot on Wednesday and posted a video defending the airport and the development in the area.“Some people are always finding faults in good works. They do not want to see the development of Jewar. The opposition can see potholes and rainwater here, but they refuse to see the international airport standing on this very soil, the world-class road infrastructure, massive industrial investment and the employment opportunities being created for thousands of young people. Their attempt is clearly to divert public attention from the unprecedented development taking place across Uttar Pradesh,” he said.On the waterlogging, Singh said the stormwater shaft at the site was small and needed to be widened. “The landscaping of the lawn will also be redesigned so that stormwater does not reach the ground,” he said.Gautam Budh Nagar MP Mahesh Sharma tweeted on Tuesday, “The insecurity of the opposition can be gauged from the way it is trying to undermine such a historical project as NIA by posting waterlogging videos.”Modi inaugurated the airport on March 28, followed by the commencement of commercial flight operations on June 15 and cargo terminal operations on June 17.
