Big face-off: Amanatullah, Asif in heated altercation over AFE waterlogging
The waterlogging on the main Abul Fazal Enclave (AFE) road from the Shaheen Bagh graveyard to N-block dominated public discussion in Okhla today. Residents noticed dirty nallah water overflowing onto the busy stretch early in the morning, raising serious concerns about mobility and hygiene.
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Former Okhla MLA Asif Md Khan openly held current MLA Amanatullah Khan responsible for the “pathetic condition” of the AFE road. Speaking to the OT, Asif claimed that on Monday night, under Amanatullah’s instructions, water from Jasola was diverted into the AFE nallah, which he said directly triggered the waterlogging.
He said he first learned of the crisis when a resident called him in panic, worried that he might not be able to take a deceased family member’s body to the Shaheen Bagh graveyard due to the flooded road. The flooding caused major hardship for commuters and residents as the arterial road remained submerged for several hours.
BJP leader Shahzad Ali was the first to go live on Facebook from the spot, drawing attention to the severity of the situation. Also he questioned both Councillor and the MLA.
Later, Asif and his daughter Areeba, the local Councillor, also went live, placing full blame on Amanatullah.
After attending an MCD session, Areeba and Asif rushed to Jasola to assess the situation. According to an eyewitness who spoke on condition of anonymity, there was a “heated argument” between Asif and Amanatullah over the issue.
“Both shouted at each other. It started when Asif accused Amanatullah of poor work. They exchanged heated words, and tensions escalated. Later, I managed to move Asif to another spot where some work was happening,” the eyewitness said.
Earlier in the day, Asif even arranged a large machine to pump out the water. However, looking visibly upset, he and his daughter later released a Facebook video in the evening saying it was extremely difficult to drain the accumulated water.
By late evening, the water had finally receded, bringing relief to residents. However, many remain sceptical about how long the situation will stay under control. “I got two shutters closed in the well and it took two hours. Today only 10 per cent of water was released from there. Just think what will happen when 100 per cent of water will be released. The whole road up to D block will be waterlogged. I had heated altercation with Amanatullah also in Jasola,” said Asif.
Amanatullah could not be reached for comment. The MLA comment will be updated if he contacts the OT. On his part, Amanatullah urged Okhla residents not to politicise the waterlogging issue and said he will get it addressed soon.
Asif, meanwhile, doubled down on his criticism, accusing the MLA of “misleading residents” and holding him solely responsible for the mess. He pointed out that he had warned about this “exact situation” three months ago in a video interview to the OT, in which he had cautioned that AFE could end up like Jasola village, where residents have been repeatedly complaining of waterlogging. Some residents had suffered heavy financial losses due to ground-floor office damage during past flooding.
