BHUBANESWAR: Pouring cold water on civic authorities’ tall claims, mere 30 minute’s heavy rain caused waterlogging in different parts of the city, throwing life out of gear on Sunday afternoon.
Despite the joint efforts of Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) and Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA) to remove encroachments from roads, drains and water bodies, several parts of the Capital City reeled under urban flooding for the fourth time this monsoon.
Several low-lying areas in Jaydev Vihar, Nayapalli, Jagamara, Acharya Vihar, Gandamunda, Baramunda, Gajapati Nagar, Shiripur and Sashtri Nagar were inundated by rain water, affecting vehicular movement and normal life. All major thoroughfares were flooded. Rain water also entered the residential houses in Baramunda, Jaydev Vihar, Old town, Nandan Vihar and Bomikhal areas.
A resident of Baramunda said, “For the first time, rain water has entered the houses and affected our daily routine.” The residents demanded that apart from removing encroachments, the civic authorities should carry out drainage desilting and expansion works.
Similarly, the heavy showers again waterlogged the service road along the National Highway-16 near Iskcon temple for an hour.
Later, BMC officials drained out the water from the road. Earlier, the waterlogging in front of Iskcon temple had triggered a war of words between the civic authorities and the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI). The civic authorities had also demolished the structures constructed along the road on encroached land by Iskcon temple management.
A BMC official said though civic authorities have removed encroachments along the road, they are yet to receive any proposal from the NHAI for expansion of the drainage line along the service road. The culvert that carries water from the drain to other side of the road near Iskcon temple needs to be widened, he opined.