‘Not Gurugram but NYC’: Paytm’s Vijay Shekhar Sharma’s comment after old video of floods in US resurfaces

As Delhi-NCR battles heavy rainfall and waterlogging, an old video of flooded streets in New York City has resurfaced, this time after Paytm founder Vijay Shekhar Sharma shared it on X (formerly Twitter) with a caption that sparked buzz online:

“Not Gurugram but NYC.”

The video, originally from September 2023, captures scenes of flash floods wreaking havoc across New York City. Torrential rain had triggered widespread flooding, disrupting train services in Brooklyn and across the city’s subway network.

Internet divided

Sharma’s remark quickly went viral, prompting mixed reactions from social media users, some drawing parallels between urban flooding in India and abroad, while others criticised the comparison.

One user wrote, “Waterlogging can happen everywhere — bridges and roads only disappear in India.”

Another said, “Gurgaon is like this with a small amount of rain. This video from NYC is from a flash flood in 2023 — a one-off incident.”

“So a problem abroad shouldn’t be considered a problem in our country? Great, sir,” a third user commented.

A fourth wrote, “That’s a very lame argument to make. Just because New York City experienced a similar level of flooding doesn’t mean people in India shouldn’t question the lack of a proper drainage system in Gurgaon. It’s like saying if Paytm is experiencing losses every year, the company should be HAPPY that MobiKwik is also seeing the same trend — instead of focusing on improving its own performance next year.”

Another added, “A gust of rain leads to the same outcome in any urban city.”

Meanwhile, on July 15, several subway passengers in New York City were left stranded inside carriages after torrential rain caused floodwaters to gush onto platforms.

Footage from the 28th Street Station showed commuters watching from inside a train as water poured into the station. Other clips showed passengers kneeling on their seats to avoid the water seeping into the carriages.

In neighbouring New Jersey, Governor Phil Murphy declared a state of emergency as flash floods submerged cars and forced road closures.