THREE TRILLION ECONOMY – YET MONSOON FLOODS UNCONTROLLED!

HEADLINE: THREE TRILLION ECONOMY – YET MONSOON FLOODS UNCONTROLLED!

India’s Development Tale Drowned in Drain Water – Jagatpura a Case in Point

By Prof. Suresh Deman

Centre for Strategic Affairs, London

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JAIPUR | SPECIAL REPORT – India boasts a $3.7 trillion economy, rockets into space, builds bullet trains, and signs mega defence deals. Politicians from both the Congress and BJP thump chests over GDP growth numbers — from 9.5% highs in 2009 to current IMF forecasts painting India as a global growth engine. But come monsoon, this ‘rising superpower’ collapses under rainwater and neglect

Welcome to Jagatpura, Jaipur — a rapidly urbanising neighbourhood that resembles a war zone every July. Incessant rains have flooded over 37 homes, drowned vehicles, cut off access to basic services, and forced children and the elderly to wade through knee-deep sewage. “Every monsoon, we relive the same nightmare. We pay taxes, but the roads pay us back with broken promises,” says a frustrated resident.

Despite decades of alternating Congress and BJP rule, and despite India's celebrated economic leap, the lived reality for ordinary citizens has changed little. Jagatpura is not an isolated case — it is the mirror India must dare to face.

GDP Rises, But So Do Waters

The 2004–2014 UPA era was celebrated for growth, but ended with GDP dipping to 4%. BJP, since 2014, has continued the rhetoric, garnished with global praise from the IMF and World Bank, partly to project a counterbalance to China. But on the ground, the floodwaters speak a different truth. Nobel laureate Amartya Sen once called India’s growth “jobless” — but he may as well have called it “hopeless” for those who drown in preventable disasters.

A "Hell for the Poor" – Broken Promises, Broken Roads

The Jagatpura catastrophe exemplifies what many Indians experience every monsoon: poor planning, blocked drains, and negligent urbanisation. A cluster of 12 newly built skyscrapers for railway employees, dangerously close to the railway platform, now poses a risk of collapse in heavy rains. Despite court stays, media coverage, representations to JDA, Chief Ministers, and ministers, the response from the authorities has been a resounding silence.

“It’s not waterlogging — it’s State apathy flooding our lives,” a resident laments, pointing toward overflowing drains and cracked roads. The area has turned into a breeding ground for disease, and the safety of children and elderly is severely compromised.

China Fixed It in the 70s – Why Can’t India in 2025?

India-China comparisons are misleading. While India struggles with drainage, China conquered natural disasters, achieved mass literacy, and provided free healthcare fifty years ago. Today, India builds smart cities — but can't build drains in a posh Jaipur locality.

In response to an American friend’s query — "How is life in India?" — my honest reply was, “Heaven for the rich, hell for the poor.” That line may now need updating: It’s hell even for the middle class when the skies open.

Enough is Enough – Time to Drain the Corruption

What keeps Jagatpura underwater is not rain but systemic corruption and official inertia. Nothing moves without “material incentives,” say residents, and the Jaipur Development Authority (JDA) has allegedly turned a blind eye to repeated pleas and protests.

The government must act now. Urban planning cannot be a joke in the age of climate change. Safety is not a privilege — it is a right. If a $3 trillion economy cannot ensure drainage and basic infrastructure, what is the growth for, and for whom?

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Call to Action:

Prime Minister Modi, Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma, JDA officials — are you listening? Before another child slips, another wall collapses, or another home becomes a pond, it’s time to act. A flood is coming — not of water, but of public outrage.

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For further updates, photos, and citizen videos from Jagatpura, follow our special coverage on social media @IndiaUndrenched.