Cuttack: Since the last few years during the monsoons, there have been a number of tragic incidents where people have lost their lives after falling in open drains. The latest among the victims was 15-year-old student Jyotiprakash Behera who died in Bhubaneswar after falling into a storm water drain September 19. His lifeless body was found the next day.
In this city also, one can find such open storm water drains at many places. However, the CMC is yet to take any step to cover the uncovered drains. The result is that after a heavy downpour, one cannot differentiate between a road and a drain as the water level rises to the brim. So there is every possibility of a person falling into a drain.
The total drainage network in Cuttack city is close to 1,000km. Out of them, a total of 660km drains are at surface level with roads and lanes. Many of these drains are uncovered also and become a threat to the lives of people during monsoons and floods. The presence of such uncovered drains can be found in most wards of Cuttack.
The main drain in Patapola locality is also uncovered and the civic authorities have not taken any steps for safety of commuters. As a result, accidents are occurring on a regular basis, alleged locals.
The Odisha High Court had asked the CMC to cover all uncovered drains. However, in reality nothing really has happened. CMC officials say that they are spending lakhs to clean and cover the drains. However, the real picture proves how hollow the statements are. This nonchalance of the CMC has triggered resentment among the dwellers of this city.
There was no reaction available from the CMC as executive engineer Dibyaranjan Tripathy could not be contacted. Others informed he was away in Bangalore.
PNN