Cuttack Municipal Corporation in slumber as open drains pose life menace to residents
Express News Service
CUTTACK: Uncovered drains throughout localities within the metropolis are posing a severe menace to the residents. With Cuttack Municipal Corporation (CMC) turning a blind eye to the hazard, a number of folks have sustained accidents by falling into open drains in the course of the rains.
According to sources, the civic physique manages 1,729 km of drains, together with 519.66 km floor drains, 130.34 km main drains, two main storm water channels with 22 km size, 29-km department storm water channel and 1,028 km earthen drains. Most of the drains alongside the town roads are mendacity uncovered, endangering the lives of pedestrians and motorists.
While the concrete slabs on a number of drains have been broken inflicting frequent mishaps, the civic physique is but to provoke step in the direction of repairing or changing it. On June 23, Joshabant Barik of Jobra Rehman Square space sustained accidents after he fell into an open drain. “There was waterlogging in our area due to heavy rain. I sustained serious injuries after my bike slipped into the uncovered drain,” stated Barik.
In February 2018, Santosh Kumar Das, a 32-year-old man, had died after falling into an open drain at Meria Bazaar. He was returning residence on his bicycle when he by accident fell into the uncovered drain close to his home.
The sanitary staff of the civic physique had eliminated the slab for cleansing the drain however forgot to cowl it again. The CMC authorities have didn’t get up to the life-threatening problem even after two years of the deadly accident.
People residing at Kala Bikash Kendra (KBK) Road have alleged that although the drain passing by way of their residential space was repaired a 12 months again, the civic physique authorities are but to place slabs on it. “As the CMC turned a deaf ear to our grievances, we were forced to cover a portion of the drain in front of our house with wooden planks,” stated Kamini Nayak, a resident of KBK Road space.
Recently, two individuals had fallen into the drain because of waterlogging, she added. CMC Executive Engineer DR Tripathy, nonetheless, stated steps are being taken to cowl the drains within the metropolis by way of self-help teams (SHGs) below Mukhyamantri Karma Tatpara Abhiyan Yojana (MUKTA Yojana).
