BHUBANESWAR: Loss of human lives due to open drains during monsoon in successive years has failed to move the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) from its inertia. As many as five people have died to BMC’s negligence in the last five years.
Though around 40 per cent of the internal drain network remain uncovered, making those a death trap for passersby and commuters, BMC is yet to initiate any step in this regard.
According to sources, about 230 km of internal drain network of total 560 km lies open.
T Appalama, a 65-year-old lady, who drowned in an open drain on the flooded Ekamra Villa road on Thursday night, was the latest victim. Hari Patnaik, a resident of Pichupadia Slum in Unit-VI, fell into an open drain while crossing it in August 2018.
Similarly, two persons of Patia-Chandrasekharpur area had also reportedly died after they were washed away in a drain during monsoon in 2017.
A nine-year-old boy had also lost his life in 2015 after he was swept away in an overflowing drain near Mumtaz Ali High School under Nayapalli police limits.
Despite such repeated mishaps, the BMC has not taken any measures to cover the open drains.
A BMC official admitted that no provision has been made in the civic body’s budget for drain repair and renovation.
Meanwhile, BMC Drainage Division engineer Pradeep Duria said the civic body has decided to conduct a survey to find out the total length of uncovered drains in the city and place its estimates before the Government for allocation of funds to cover those.