Bhubaneswar: At a time when citizens of many areas here are grappling with severe waterlogging issues, the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC), whose monsoon readiness has been thoroughly exposed, has tried to shift the blame onto Roads and Buildings (R&B) division. According to sources, severe waterlogging in areas like Bomikhal, Jayadev Vihar, Nayaplli, Nandan Vihar, CRP Square, Behera Sahi and Rasulgarh throws life out of gear, even after a brief spell of rain during monsoon. This year, however, things reached a flashpoint in June when eight-year-old Abu Bakr Shah died after falling into an overflowing open drain in Masjid Colony of Unit 3 here.
Following the incident, a blame game ensued between BMC and R&B division over the responsibility to cover open drains. A senior BMC official passed the buck on R&B division by saying that the construction of highrise buildings is allowed in the City every year without any adherence to standard drainage plans. This hampers the desiltation of drains, he added. Sources, however, said that a majority of the drains are managed by the civic body. Out of 1,123km of internal drains in 67 wards, around 663km is managed by BMC, while 360km is taken care of by R&B division. Similarly, 65km of internal drains in industrial estates are managed by the Odisha Industrial Infrastructure Corporation (IDCO), while 34.43km of internal drains fall under the jurisdiction of National Highway Authority of India (NHAI). Executive Engineer of Drainage Works, BMC, Priyabrata Behera, said the pendency of tenders for the construction of new drains is also responsible for severe waterlogging issues in the City. “For instance, the tender for the construction of an internal drain at Banafula Basti near Nandan Vihar is pending with R&B division for the last two years.
Similar is the fate of another drain construction plan near Ahalya Nagar in Patia,” Behera added. He mentioned that unnecessary paver construction by NHAI near flyovers, coupled with a lack of channels for the immediate passage of rainwater, is adding to the woes of daily commuters. It is worth mentioning that BMC presented the highest-ever budget for FY 2024-25 with a total allocation of Rs 1,027 crore of which Rs 91.47 crore was allotted for drain construction and development. Though more than six months have elapsed, the civic body is yet to announce the status of its expenditure on drain development works. Earlier this month, the state government had inked a Rs 200- crore agreement with IIT-Delhi to develop a robust mechanism to address urban flooding during monsoon.
DEBADURLLAV HARICHANDAN, OP