- 5 months ago
KCR's daughter, K Kavitha, has resigned from her Member of the Legislative Council position following her suspension for alleged anti-party activities,
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00:00Hello and welcome. Good evening. You're watching Super 6 here on India Today. I'm Akshita Nandakopa.
00:05Lots lined up for you all in this broadcast as we run you through the big stories of the day.
00:10Our top focus, however, on Super 6 is the big headline that's emerged from the southern states on the family feud that's playing out in the BRS.
00:19It started off with K. Kavita, KCR's daughter, being suspended from the party.
00:24And today at a press conference, she's lashed out at the decision. She's quit as a BRS MLC.
00:30We're going to be putting the spotlight of what's really happening in the BRS, what's led to this rather ugly situation of the BRS first family now fighting it out in full public view.
00:41Details of that, we will be getting here, decoding what's playing out within the party, but also coming up on the show.
00:46At 6.30 this evening, we're putting the spotlight on the national capital.
00:51Delhi, unfortunately, is bracing itself for the worst as the Yamuna is slowly creeping more and more into the national capital.
00:59With already an alert being issued in the coming hours, we could be seeing the Yamuna levels rise up.
01:07And with that, the waters flowing more and more into the national capital.
01:11Are we going to be seeing a repeat of 2023?
01:14We're going to be talking about that and getting you the latest ground reports, a live update on the current situation in the national capital.
01:21Makshitan and the Bhopal, here are the headlines.
01:28Yamuna River continues to swell.
01:30Several areas inundated, over 10,000 people shifted to relief camps.
01:34Water continuously being released from the Hatnikund barrage in Haryana.
01:44Land of Five Rivers becomes land of floods.
01:47Schools and colleges in Punjab to remain shut till September.
01:51All 23 districts have been declared affected.
01:53Over 3,50,000 people impacted.
02:01GST Council meet in New Delhi to discuss GST reform.
02:06Sources say new GST rates to come into effect from September 5th, offering consumers relief on daily essentials.
02:14Congress versus Congress.
02:19Nataka rages on, sacked Neta K and Rajana loyalists hit out at DKS camp.
02:24Rajana camp alleges DKS conspired against him.
02:32Big CAA relief by Modi government persecuted Hindus, Sikhs, Christians, Jains and Buddhists who fled to India till 2024 will not be sent back.
02:44And Tamil Nadu Deputy Chief Minister Udeniti Stalin's big claim on Sanatana Dharm controversy claims his words were twisted, says BGP is a fake news factory.
02:55There have been some very, very interesting developments that have come in from the state of Telangana with the political landscape heating up with multiple developments shaking the BRS party.
03:13The party in opposition, the primary opposition party in Telangana.
03:18The ongoing family feud within BRS continues to deepen.
03:21There's always been rumblings about it.
03:23Now it's out in the open as you have a son and daughter of KCR.
03:29KTR and KKavita essentially being pitted against each other.
03:33It's not the first time we've seen that in politics.
03:34But as a result of that, the decision was taken by Father KCR to suspend KKavita from the party.
03:42That was an announcement that was made yesterday.
03:44And today, she's now gone ahead and resigned as member of the Legislative Council, stepping down after being expelled from the BRS for anti-party activities.
03:54That was the reason given by the BRS.
03:56Now it's not really surprising to anyone who's tracked really political developments in the BRS, many would have said this was coming.
04:03That there were rumblings that suggested that Kavita wasn't on the best footing within the party and within the family itself.
04:08Now the reason, however, that the suspension has happened now is because Kavita had lashed out against her cousin, senior BRS leader T. Harish Rao,
04:17claiming he and Rewanth Reddy had conspired to target her family.
04:21And that's why the Kaleshwaram Irrigation Project scam had, in fact, leveled allegations also against her father, KCR.
04:30Let's get you, in fact, a sense of all the reactions that have come in so far.
04:33Thank you very much.
05:03Thank you very much.
05:33Thank you very much.
05:35Thank you very much.
05:44action
06:14Shabbat shalom.
06:44He has been exposed to the corruption, and they are corrupt families, corrupt leaders.
07:06They have emassed the wealth, and now they have emassed the ill-gotten wealth.
07:14Okay, let me bring in Abdul Bashir, who's been tracking all the updates on this story.
07:20Abdul, you know, I started off this broadcast by saying that perhaps this was innocence coming,
07:25because there was a lot of talk about, you know, issues within the BRS first family.
07:30But what next are we really going to be seeing for Kay Kavita?
07:33Look, clearly at this point she's been suspended from the BRS.
07:36Is there still a point or a chance of reconciliation?
07:40What's led to KCR taking this kind of a drastic decision against his own daughter?
07:46Well, as you mentioned, Akshita, Kay Kavita has been mentioning that she has been sidelined in the party,
07:52and this is not the first time earlier also.
07:54It was not vocal, but she had been projecting that she is being sidelined.
07:59And when the suspension letter had come yesterday, she had mentioned that the party leader, KCR Garu,
08:06did not even call her to ask what is her side, what is her say on this particular issue that is going.
08:13And now Kay Kavita has clearly slammed people around the former Chief Vanessa, and we are expressing in KCR,
08:19that Harish Rao and Santosh is responsible for this particular step or situation that has been created.
08:27Now, well, Kay Kavita on one side has told us, you know, she has given a resignation letter from the party membership,
08:35and also her membership to the legislative council, but she has asked her father and brother to understand the situation
08:42and be careful with these people around him.
08:45Now, apart from this, what we are understanding is that there is a high possibility that Kay Kavita will also float a new party
08:52or else her Salangana Jagruti organization that she is heading, she will be leading that organization.
09:00No, but Abdul, is this a point of no return?
09:02Politically, yes, there is clearly a breakdown in ties between Kay Kavita, her father and her brother.
09:08But as far as family ties go, what exactly has led to, you know, it reaching a point where KCR has taken this decision?
09:17Well, the whole scenario had come, you know, burst out when Kaleshwaram issue or Kaleshwaram case was brought in the assembly,
09:25arguments were made, and then a CBI inquiry is a point where the whole patience of Kay Kavita had burst out, is what she is saying.
09:33She is saying, for the wrongdoings of others, why is KCR a bapu of Salangana being projected in bad light, is what she has mentioned.
09:42Her say is that KCR is not responsible, but if it is somebody who is responsible, it would be the then irrigation minister,
09:49So the allegation then is that there was corruption. There was corruption within the BRS.
09:55So that by itself leads to essentially you giving an opportunity to the likes of the Congress in Telangana to attack the BRS.
10:02Maybe that's what triggered it. Maybe there was a lot of deep-rooted issues that have now emerged before.
10:07Thank you, Abdul, for getting us those details.
10:09But mind you, Kay Kavita was targeting her cousin, Harish Rao, not her brother, KTR.
10:14And yet she's been suspended from the party.
10:17It's not the first time we've seen this kind of familial divides over politics.
10:21Unfortunately, it's something we see far too often in politics, where ties by blood don't matter when it comes to politics.
10:29Let's talk about that in multiple instances.
10:32The latest, of course, now is what we're seeing between KTR and Kay Kavita, the siblings in the BRS.
10:40Now, clearly at this point, KCR has suspended Kavita from the party, his own daughter.
10:46He suspended her from the party because the message is very clear.
10:50She's crossed a Lakshman Rekha and the idea is that she went ahead and indulged in anti-party activities.
10:56Not the first time, like I said, because we've seen this with Chandra Babu Naidu and NTR.
11:00What am I referring to?
11:01Well, essentially, Naidu had staged a coup against his father-in-law.
11:05This was, of course, many decades ago, but it was a very telling political chapter in Andhra's history.
11:12Even now, in the YSRCP in Andhra Pradesh, Jagan Mohan Reddy and his sister, Vaish Sharmila, also fighting it out.
11:19Fall out over personal differences that's led to political differences as well.
11:23So, Vaish Sharmila is part of the Andhra Congress and Jagan Mohan Reddy with the YSRCP.
11:29Vaish Sharmila has always alleged that her brother never let her be a part of politics, which is why she took that route.
11:36So, it's not a new story by any measure in South politics, particularly in the Telugu states.
11:42Let me bring in on this broadcast, Kalyani Shankar, political analyst.
11:45We'll also have with us King Srupnag in just a bit.
11:49Kalyani Shankar, thank you very much for your time.
11:51What do you make of this development?
11:53You know, from the beginning of this broadcast, I've been saying, ma'am, that this was, in a sense, a long time coming.
11:58Do you think so, too?
11:59That, you know, there were differences clearly in the first family of the BRS?
12:03Well, you see, when KCR launched his party, at that time he didn't have, it was Telangana.
12:13Now he changed it to Bharat.
12:15So, he had a grand idea of becoming the prime minister and then keeping the daughter with him in Delhi as an MP.
12:23And then the son, KTR, Telangana.
12:28So, that was his grand plan.
12:30But somehow it didn't work out.
12:31So, then later on he thought that he would send Kavitha to Delhi as an MP.
12:36That also didn't work out.
12:38Then KTR has been with him all the time.
12:40He's been grooming him.
12:41He was with all the decisions he's taken.
12:45And Hush also is with KCR.
12:49And the problem now is that they have reached a stage where they cannot hold on anymore.
12:56The siblings are not together.
12:57Then their nephews are not together.
12:59They have to find some way of finding a solution to this.
13:03So, it was coming.
13:04Anyway, it was coming.
13:06And it came just like that at this time.
13:09When it is making news, national news.
13:11Otherwise, today it wouldn't have got such a big show.
13:16I have a feeling that some people who are against KCR might help Kavitha.
13:25So, she's not alone in all these things.
13:27So, it could be Congress.
13:28It could be BJP.
13:29It could be anybody else.
13:30But then the anti-KCR forces might come together.
13:34As it is the case of Telangana.
13:36I mean, BRS is not much in Telangana.
13:39Now, BJP has taken a second position there.
13:43So, what do you think, Kalyani Shankar?
13:46You know, at this point, this decision has been taken by KCR.
13:49And I'm sure it was a very tough one as a father to choose between both his children.
13:53Because that's essentially the messaging here.
13:55That he's chosen KTR over Kavitha.
13:57But politically speaking, clearly at this point, you know, the choice seemed clear here.
14:02Because the messaging always was that KTR is the political successor.
14:06Well, you see, KCR is early.
14:09He's not seen in public also.
14:11And he's not taking any decisions also now.
14:14So, when that is the time that he has to decide whether the daughter has a son who could survive political pressure.
14:21So, he must have in his intelligence, he must have thought that KTR is a better bet.
14:26So, he had decided on KCR.
14:29Okay, interesting.
14:31And what do you also think of what Kavitha has as far as her options go now going forward?
14:36Do you think that in all likelihood, she's going to be launching her own political outfit,
14:40maybe joining hands with the BJP or the Congress in the state?
14:45Do you see that as a probability?
14:46Or do you think that it hasn't reached a point where she can't get back into the BRS?
14:50Well, you have just said it.
14:51You see, Kavitha has lost her political, you know, clout now.
14:57Because when she was in BRS, she was somebody there.
15:00Now she's out.
15:01Like, Sharmila, in the neighboring district, had formed her own party.
15:06But they saw that she couldn't survive.
15:08So, she joined Congress.
15:09So, Kavitha also may join a new party.
15:12And then later on, she might join either or any of these parties.
15:16As I said earlier, anti-KCR forces might come to help her.
15:20And she, as a politician, has no more leeway than anybody else.
15:27My final question to you, ma'am, is also about, you know, women in politics.
15:32Very often, when it comes to political successes, and there's a man and woman pitted against each other,
15:39the, you know, clearly there's a favorite there, which is the man.
15:43And there are multiple instances of that.
15:45If I were to look at Tamil Nadu, it was a similar formula that you referred to,
15:48of state with the son, the daughter in Delhi.
15:51Similar formula that was attempted in Telangam.
15:53But was it a lot more harder for the women, for the daughters, to kind of make their impact?
15:58Well, it is difficult to say why it happens.
16:02But this is a country where the families prefer the son to the daughter.
16:08That's what is happening in Congress party also.
16:11Why is Priyanka not favored first and now only she's been brought in?
16:15So, this is normally part of Indian psyche that the son gets the preference, not the daughter.
16:22And the daughters, of course, initially they want to give them both.
16:27They give them the opportunity, they come to power.
16:29And when they come to power, they give them opportunities.
16:32But then once they are able to prove it, then only they can think of the next step.
16:38So, in this case, KTR had been with KCR all the time.
16:41So, there is no way Kavita can claim.
16:44All of them wanted to become the party president now.
16:47That is another problem.
16:48You see, Kavita also wants to become the party president now.
16:52So, this is positioning for power.
16:57This is a family feud.
16:59Nothing but family feud.
17:01And this will go on for some time.
17:03Drama in public.
17:04Everybody will watch the Dutty Lenin in public.
17:07And after some time, they will come together.
17:09They will just disappear sometimes or they may survive.
17:12But it's only a question mark.
17:14Impact clearly, from what you are telling us, ma'am.
17:16Impact not much.
17:17But at the end of the day, it does give leeway for the Congress to go ahead and attack the
17:21BRS saying, look at what's happening.
17:23They don't have, you know, things in order.
17:26And that's why you're seeing this very public feud.
17:28We've already heard that from the Telangana Chief Minister, Revant Reddy, who's reacted,
17:31mocking what's happening in the BRS first family, as they're called.
17:35Thank you very much, Kalyani Shankar, for joining us with your analysis and your perspective
17:39of what's playing out right now within the BRS in Telangana.
17:42Let's move on and talk about Tamil Nadu Deputy Chief Minister Udeniti Stalin
17:47speaking out on that entire controversy that he triggered over Sanatana dharam, when he'd
17:52referred to it as dengue, compared it to malaria.
17:56All of that he's referred to now, saying that his words were twisted as part of a disinformation
18:02campaign against him. Udeniti Stalin, remember, had never apologized for that particular remark,
18:08which had set off a nationwide storm.
18:10Today speaking on it, he claims that all of it was just misinformation, that his words
18:16were twisted, that fake news was spread, so much so that a price was put on his head
18:22as well, referring to the fact that there were even bounties that were offered for action
18:26against Udeniti Stalin.
18:28Remember the comments that he'd made, where three years ago he'd compared Sanatana dharam
18:32to malaria, to dengue, and that had, of course, triggered this massive, massive storm.
18:39Let's get you a sense of exactly what Udeniti Stalin has had to say now.
18:43The question's been, this is a pretty much, this is the first one.
18:45I've read this one, three words earlier.
18:47We've read our comments on this one.
18:49I've read about that one.
18:51I've read about that one.
18:53There's someone that has to be a dead and dead and dead.
18:55There's someone that has to be dead.
18:56But if you've read it, that will be a dead and dead.
18:58And what I've read is, I already read about it.
19:00I've read the story of a genocide, a genocide, and I've been reading the story of my story.
19:34Okay, let's switch straight across to a mega exclusive here on India Today.
19:40Maria Shakil in conversation with the Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister, D.K. Shivkumar.
19:44Listen.
19:51Hello everyone and welcome to this special conversation.
19:54D.K. Shivkumar is Deputy Chief Minister of Karnataka and Bengaluru's in-charge minister.
19:59He has only now announced what he calls the greatest urban governance reform in Bengaluru's history.
20:07This will essentially involve the bifurcation of BBMP into smaller corporations.
20:15What is the rationale behind this move?
20:17Let me go straight to Bengaluru where D.K. Shivkumar joins us live.
20:21Mr. Shivkumar, will this bifurcation require legislative changes
20:27and what hurdles do you anticipate in getting this approved, sir?
20:33See, already this corporation has come into existence.
20:38Already the law has been imposed.
20:41This law has been placed in the Assembly.
20:43I have already formed a joint selection committee of the houses, both the houses.
20:54It has been discussed.
20:57This committee was being formed.
20:5920 meetings were being conducted.
21:02Ultimately, with a lot of objections, a lot of suggestions,
21:06the pattern has been passed in the Assembly.
21:09It has been sent to the Governor.
21:10His Excellency Governor of Karnataka has already accepted it.
21:15And now, with all the bifurcation and making the area whichever has to be in acute manner,
21:22ultimately, we have notified, and from yesterday, they have started functioning.
21:27It has been divided into five corporations.
21:30This GBA has been formed.
21:32Apart from the corporation, there is an authority called the GBA,
21:36so the Greater Bengal Authority.
21:38So, that authority is for the better governance, effective delivery of the services,
21:44and the GBA is going to coordinate with all the other departments,
21:49and the mega projects will be done by the Greater Bengal Authority.
21:54This is one, as you have seen in Tokyo and other important cities.
21:59This is also there.
22:01This is not only the first city which has been doing,
22:04but as far as India is concerned, we have taken a very strong recommendation.
22:09You know, even in London, even in New York,
22:13and all this type of administration is being going on.
22:17See, we have seen that the 74th Amendment, which was being given by Rajuji,
22:22is not being affected, and the entire corporation, corporations will have more effective,
22:29and new leadership also will be growing there.
22:33Almost in Bangalore City, we had about 198 watts.
22:37Now, more or less about 500 watts will be created,
22:43and new leadership will grow in Bangalore.
22:45Okay, let's get to the brass tacks now, Mr. D.K. Shivkumar.
22:49How will municipal revenues, such as property tax, infrastructure,
22:54CES, and state grants be distributed among the new corporations?
23:00See, I fully agree on this point.
23:04We are not touching the 74th Amendment.
23:07Though there are some areas, the very richer areas,
23:09some areas will be the less revenue area.
23:12But still, according to the population, we have divided it.
23:15If there is a richer area also, we will not take out the revenue from there
23:19and go to the area which has not been financially sound.
23:25There, the government of Karnataka will help those areas,
23:27and we will allow them to function independently.
23:31This is a major thing.
23:32Number two, as for the taxes collection,
23:34it's concerned on the same simulat pattern we have divided,
23:37and the areas, boundaries have been marked.
23:40They will work effectively and see that
23:42all the common man citizens can approach directly
23:47to the new corporations in their area, which has been notified,
23:52and there will be more accuracy and accountability will be there on this issue.
23:56In terms of the new corporations,
24:01will they have their own mayor and administrative staff,
24:05and how will coordination be ensured between them?
24:09Of course, there will be a new mayor,
24:11and the mayor term will be about 200 years.
24:14New elections will be conducted by the Election Commission,
24:17State Election Commission.
24:18The process is on, the delimitation is on,
24:22and we will give them autonomy as what is there in the 74th Amendment.
24:26The government will not involve in that.
24:28But only as far as the GBA is concerned,
24:31for the major projects, the GBA has been done
24:33for the effective delivery of the services to the people of Bangalore.
24:38Sir, how will this reform then ensure
24:41that those zones which were historically neglected
24:45receive the same level of services as central Bengaluru?
24:49See, I am telling you, there are three important issues.
24:54One is, as far as the document and property owners of Bangalore,
24:59we have come out with a new policy
25:00that everyone will be given e-katha
25:04with their photo, with the identification of the building,
25:08with all the details and everything.
25:10They have to pay the tax correctly.
25:12Anyone who owns the property can look at their property,
25:17whether the property lies with them or not.
25:20It is purely computerized,
25:22and scanning of the document has been done,
25:25and it is done in a very transparent way,
25:27as far as number one is concerned.
25:29Number two, while they have to pay the taxes to that,
25:33no one can cheat the government,
25:34or we don't want to take any extra from them.
25:37What are the areas there?
25:39There is a thumb rule in that.
25:40I think they will have to pay the taxes to the corporation.
25:44The major issue is that,
25:46on the urban planning issue,
25:48now the GVA will have the authority on the planning of Bangalore,
25:52because as you know,
25:53this is a very important city in all over the world.
25:56It is looking at Bangalore,
25:57and we wanted to see that
25:59very effective governance is being given here,
26:01and this 74th amendment is implemented in a very disciplined manner.
26:08Some may view this as consolidating political influence in certain zones.
26:13Then how do you assure citizens that this is purely a governance reform,
26:18not political?
26:19No, I am not looking at politics.
26:24Politics is next.
26:25We want the people of Karnataka,
26:27the people of Bangalore to be very important.
26:30See, almost 25% of the population stays in Bangalore,
26:34and about almost 10 to 12% of the people every day come to Bangalore.
26:40This is the strength of Bangalore,
26:42and people from all over the world are coming here.
26:45You know that the IT sector is being boomed here,
26:48about more than 25 lakhs of IT professionals are working.
26:52In California, about 13 lakhs of 1.3 million is working.
26:57Here, 2.5 million are working.
27:00So, we want to see that this city will give you a better service in all levels,
27:05and everyone who works on the, all the techies,
27:08everyone who would like to own a property,
27:10they would like to own a flat,
27:12they want it to be their own.
27:13So, we are working out.
27:15Mr. D.K. Shivkumar,
27:16if successful in Bengaluru,
27:18do you see this model being replicated in other large cities of Karnataka,
27:24like Mysuru or Mangaluru?
27:29No, Mangaluru is not a city.
27:30The entire country will look at this.
27:33It may be a different part of the country.
27:35I don't want to know about their cities,
27:37but big cities will have to take this type of model.
27:40This has been worked out,
27:41and I think a lot of I am getting calls from all over the country,
27:44in different administrations are coming out,
27:47telling about this is a great model which Karnataka has looked at,
27:51and even which is already there in the international arena.
27:55This model is there.
27:56I think it will help.
27:58As far as Karnataka is concerned,
27:59this is one of the biggest cities which we can try on this model.
28:03All right.
28:03D.K. Shivkumar,
28:04thank you so much for your time,
28:05and thank you for sharing details
28:07of what you are seeing as the biggest
28:10urban governance reform in Bengaluru.
28:14Thank you very much.
28:19The Yamuna levels continue to rise,
28:21and that doesn't spell good news ever,
28:23because we've seen what happened in 2023.
28:26I was there on ground in parts of the Red Fort,
28:28Old Delhi, where water had entered.
28:31And so across parts of Delhi,
28:34it was essentially almost like an island
28:35of what managed to really stay dry
28:38through the Yamuna flowing into the national capital.
28:41Are we going to see a similar situation today in 2025?
28:44Right now, there are parts along the Yamuna,
28:48which are encroachments, let's face it,
28:50all completely underwater right now.
28:53Hopefully, we don't see the water now
28:55entering into parts of Delhi.
28:57But with the water level continuing to go up,
29:00the latest bulletin suggests
29:01that it's definitely risen in the last few hours.
29:03There is very much a possibility
29:05that tomorrow morning,
29:06we'll wake up to the same scenes that we did in 2023,
29:09of water flowing through the streets of Delhi,
29:12even in iconic locations like the Red Fort.
29:15Let me get you an update from Ground Zero,
29:18from the national capital, from Delhi.
29:20What's the situation currently?
29:21Piyush Mishra is joining us live from Akshadham.
29:24We have Milin Sharma also joining us live.
29:26Milin, I'm going to come across to you first.
29:28Take us through exactly where you are.
29:31You've been out through the day,
29:32so are you seeing the water levels going up
29:34in the last few hours?
29:35Yes.
29:39Well, Akshita, definitely there has been
29:42a rise in the water levels,
29:44especially near the areas of Yamuna,
29:45where a lot of people have been evacuated from.
29:48But I'm at a very important stretch right now.
29:51This happens to be right after the airport road
29:53and this crosses after Dholakua.
29:56And look at the condition of this major road right now,
30:00where there's a bus stop over here
30:02that's completely submerged.
30:04I'll just ask Ajay to just pan here and show you.
30:08Right in front, there's a bus stop here,
30:10right next to where I'm standing.
30:12And that's also completely submerged in water.
30:14People are not even using that particular bus stop
30:17because the roads here, they are broken.
30:20There are no drains over here in this area.
30:23And that's why all the water that has been collected
30:26in one particular region in Munirka right now
30:29is flowing from here.
30:31And this is the condition of roads right now, Akshita.
30:34It's not even raining as much today.
30:36There was inclemental rain, you know, predicted by the IMD.
30:40But Delhi remains in the red alert category
30:43throughout the day for the last three days.
30:45And with a little bit of rain as well,
30:47this is the condition of roads right now
30:49in the national capital,
30:51where cars that are crossing from this particular road
30:54have to wade through enough water
30:56that can lead to damage to your, you know, cars as well.
31:00And of course, a lot of people have to face problems.
31:05As I was showing you, the bus stop there,
31:07if Ajay would just pan the camera from this side.
31:11So there's nobody standing at the bus stop.
31:12They have to stand right on the road there
31:15to wait for buses to come.
31:16But this is, you know, the current condition
31:19of the waters that are not receding also
31:22in the national capital region.
31:24And where does it recede to?
31:25Because, you know, your drains are blocked.
31:27The Yamuna is already overflowing.
31:29That's the biggest challenge,
31:30that if it rains even more,
31:31you'll see water levels going up,
31:33courtesy the rain,
31:34plus the Yamuna continuing to flow into Delhi.
31:37And I want to get an update from Piyush Mishra
31:39on the Yamuna water levels.
31:40He's joining us live from the banks
31:42of the Yamuna.
31:43I'm sure those areas are completely inundated.
31:46The worry now, Piyush,
31:47is beyond the banks of the Yamuna.
31:49It's the heart of the national capital
31:50and whether that too will get flooded
31:52in the next few hours.
31:53Piyush, can you hear me?
32:09Apologies.
32:09We're going to reconnect with Piyush.
32:11Give us a few moments there.
32:12Piyush is there close to the Yamuna
32:14to get us that live update.
32:15We'll cut across to him in just a bit.
32:17In the meanwhile, take a look at these ground reports
32:19filed by my colleague, Sneha Murdani.
32:22She's been through the day tracking the situation.
32:24It's some of the worst affected parts
32:26where people are being evacuated right now.
32:29The Delhi government says,
32:30look, we're fully prepared.
32:31We will ensure minimum damage to life and property.
32:35But what's the situation on the ground?
32:37Take a look at this.
32:37This is Delhi's popular monastery market,
32:43which has been completely shut down.
32:45As you can see, it's filled with water completely.
32:49Well, the authorities say that this isn't the fault of the government.
32:53This has got more to do with the fact that this monastery market
32:57is in fact located on the Zone O area,
33:00which is an area at the flood bank,
33:04which means construction of this market per se is illegal.
33:08It's been flagged off several times.
33:11It's on the floodplains
33:12and it is violative of various norms,
33:15various environmental norms.
33:17But this market continues to flourish.
33:19What is our fault, says the government,
33:21because if you're located on the floodplains,
33:24then flooding certainly is bound to happen.
33:28Historically, the Yamana's flooding was a seasonal problem.
33:33It had a rhythm to it.
33:35Destructive, yes, it brought in destruction.
33:38But at least there was a seasonal pattern to this.
33:41That rhythm has now been disrupted.
33:44Thanks to rapid urbanization,
33:46our relationship with nature,
33:48the manner in which man is destroying nature,
33:51the misuse of floodplains,
33:53our drainage systems,
33:54overpopulation in areas from where the rivers really flow.
33:59All of this have really messed around
34:01with the seasonal rhythmic disruption of the river.
34:06And that's where the problem really has started.
34:09To add to it,
34:10climate change has worsened things for us
34:13over the last few years.
34:15This is the same place where I was standing yesterday.
34:18Things have changed drastically.
34:19To give our viewers an overview of how this area
34:22and the Yamuna Bazaar looks at this point in time,
34:25completely inundated in water.
34:28Someone like me was standing in the water yesterday.
34:31The water came up to my knee level.
34:32But if I were to do the same today,
34:34right here in this water,
34:36I would drown.
34:37And this explains why everybody has abandoned their homes.
34:40The residents of the Yamuna Bazaar area
34:42are not at home at this point in time.
34:44They've been forced to leave their homes.
34:45These are proper houses that have been built
34:47at the banks of the river.
34:49This, of course, is an encroachment
34:50which the authorities say should have not been there to begin with.
34:55This is the Yamuna Bazaar area,
34:57which is in fact one of the worst affected areas
34:59in the national capital right now.
35:01A team of the NDRF is in standby
35:02to see if things get worse
35:05and if they need to step in
35:06and then help the people living in this area
35:09who have anyway been dislocated.
35:12Arrangements being made just in case
35:13the water then comes to the road.
35:16These sacks of sand would help them
35:18reduce the impact of the flow of the water.
35:23Washrooms have been set up,
35:24temporary setups like this
35:26for the people living in this area
35:27who have been completely displaced.
35:29Also, what you can see right now
35:31is that these temporary shelters
35:33have been set up.
35:35People living here,
35:36they live in the Yamuna Bazaar embankment
35:38and right now,
35:39they are living in these temporary shelters
35:41that have been set up.
35:42You are going to live here,
35:44only in the river.
35:48You are going to live here from Tent.
35:48How is this?
35:49This is a bad thing.
35:51There is no doubt about the people
35:53This is the only reason
35:55we are going to say
35:56we have to live here.
35:57You have to say it
35:58you have to live here.
35:59What do you say?
36:00It is an encouragement to this.
36:03It is no doubt.
36:03I am more status quo.
36:04I am not, I am here.
36:06If you are going to help me
36:08and you are going to start
36:09If you have no place, then you will get out of here.
36:13Absolutely.
36:14This is the story of every year, the water is on top of it.
36:16Yes, yes.
36:17This is how people are getting inside their homes right now.
36:21Unless you do this, you will not have an idea about how difficult and scary this is.
36:26This is really not funny.
36:30Imagine if I were to fall in this water, I have already got a glimpse of how it feels
36:33on your feet.
36:34It's dirty, it's water from the washrooms, it's got urine, it's got stool and then to
36:41deal with this, to do this, to get inside your homes.
36:45This is how people are living in the national capital.
36:49It's not just shocking, it's just so sad on how pathetic the situation really is for the
36:55people.
36:56If you have a rooftop, then you are alive and at least you are dry like these people.
37:01People living right below here, don't even have that luxury.
37:06How are you living here?
37:08I see it's so difficult to get inside the house and go to the house.
37:11Did you know that the water is like this?
37:14Yes, it was in 2013, it was also overflowing with the water.
37:20Then we came from the middle of the children.
37:23There is no place in the front, there is no place in the tent.
37:26There is no place in the tent, there is no place in the tent.
37:28There is no place in the tent.
37:30There are no place in the tent.
37:33There is no place in the tent.
37:34ropic 12-10, 15-20 èемся in the suit.
37:36Second off, in the garden, there are 22-22 people who live in the family, members of the family.
37:43If you don't have to live in Bentley' where the tentс is, it finds a tiny group of cyclicalTu.
37:48Critical owner off is wide and people working the way they do.
37:48What you are using?
37:49What would you let yourself understand?
37:52We have no sense of it.
37:53Not sure.
37:54Nobody knows anything.
37:55What is he doing?
37:57He is going to come to the doctor.
38:00The next year, he is sick.
38:03Our young man is poor.
38:07He is ill.
38:09He is sick.
38:11He is sick.
38:13He is sick.
38:15He is sick.
38:17He is sick.
38:21For those residents, they are saying that this is unfortunately normal for the
38:25and many of these buildings you see there, they are encroachments.
38:29They are built literally on the Yamuna.
38:32And yet authorities do nothing to address these encroachments,
38:35which is why you see these people suffering every year round.
38:39I want to bring in Piyush Mishra.
38:41He is joining us live from the banks of the Yamuna,
38:43which I am sure is under water right now.
38:45But Piyush, what is the water level at the Yamuna right now?
38:48What is the government saying?
38:50Are we going to be seeing inundation through central Delhi,
38:53two parts of old Delhi come tonight?
38:59Well, actually, the government is saying that it is putting all its efforts to ensure
39:02that such things do not happen.
39:04And the situation like 2023 does not arise once again.
39:08And for that, all steps are being taken.
39:10Right now, I am present at Yamuna Khadar,
39:12which is right next to Akshadam.
39:14And this entire area, the entire stretch is submerged in water.
39:17I would ask my video journalist to show you the visuals as to how these are the temporary shelters
39:22where people used to live.
39:23Now they have vacated their houses.
39:25They have now gone on the roads.
39:27There are some, you know, tents erected for them.
39:29And you can see the pictures of these houses, the temporary houses,
39:33which they have built here in Yamuna Khadar.
39:35And these houses are completely submerged in water.
39:38Wherever you will see, you will only find water.
39:40The trees are submerged.
39:42We can also hear voices of cattle who are stuck inside this water.
39:48This entire area is completely inundated in water.
39:51And on my right hand side also, you can see as to how there are kettles
39:54who are struggling to get out of this water,
39:57which has now crossed the level of danger level of Yamuna River.
40:02And on my left hand side also, we can try to show you a 360 degree view of this entire area.
40:08You can see everywhere you will only and only find water.
40:11So this shows as to how day by day the situation is turning grim.
40:16And this is the place from where I am reporting is an under construction flyover.
40:20And we have managed to reach here by, you know, using some other vehicle
40:26because the four wheelers were not coming here.
40:28But you can see as to how this entire stretch up,
40:31which connects Akshar Dham and Mayur Vyar.
40:34And this under construction flyover in very soon will be connecting up,
40:38you know, Barapulla.
40:39Sir, Piyush, these areas that you are showing us,
40:42where there is water right now, were these roads previously?
40:49Well, Akshita, these were the temporary houses where people used to live.
40:53Now they have, you know, vacated their houses.
40:56And this is the area of Yamuna Khadr, which means the Yamuna River is not very far from here.
41:00But because the water is flowing above the danger level,
41:05the water has come in these, all these residential areas where people used to live.
41:09So we are showing you the pictures of these houses also who are now completely submerged.
41:14People have vacated all these houses.
41:17And, you know, they are also struggling.
41:19They are on the streets, on the main roads, main highways.
41:22They are now living in erected tents.
41:24The temporary tents have been erected by the government.
41:27But this shows as to how the condition is turning bad day by day.
41:32Last, in 2023, when I had reported from the same area,
41:37I had seen as to how the water had come to this level.
41:39The trees were completely submerged.
41:41But still, there is some sort of relief for people that this entire area is not completely submerged.
41:47I hope, I hope, Piyush, I hope that doesn't happen in the coming days.
41:52You were there, I remember, in 2023, reporting from the ground.
41:56And we saw how quickly the situation changed.
41:59We saw how in a matter of hours, when we thought the situation was under control,
42:02suddenly all around us there was water, literally like we were living in an island.
42:07And I get that sense from your report right now as well, when I see water all around.
42:11I'm just hoping that those water levels don't go up further,
42:14because that will mean supremely bad, bad news for Delhiites.
42:18So we're going to keep our fingers crossed that there's no more rainfall.
42:21But even if that's not the case, water being released will still pose a big, big problem.
42:26Because this is not rainwater that's accumulating.
42:28It's the Yamuna literally flowing into Delhi,
42:31because it's the same old issue of encroachments that hasn't been addressed.
42:35There's no place for the Yamuna to flow.
42:37It flows into the city.
42:39Piyush, thanks for the moment for joining us with that report.
42:42We're going to be in touch with you.
42:44Piyush and all of my colleagues will continue tracking the situation very, very closely
42:48and getting you constant live updates on the situation in the national capital.
42:53Like I said, we're hoping that it's not a repeat of 2023.
42:57That's all we have time for in this edition of Super 6.
42:59Thanks very much for tuning in.
43:00I'll see you next time.
43:01Thanks for tuning in.
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