CUTTACK: Even as monsoon is round the corner, the city residents continue to battle severe waterlogging with the Cuttack Municipal Corporation (CMC) yet to complete the cleaning and desilting work of drains.
Sources said, after facing backlash for its failure to clear waterlogging following heavy downpour on April 15, the CMC had constituted a sanitation committee to take stock of the drain desilting work in the city.
Accordingly, as per the report of the sanitation committee, around 30 to 40 drains were to be desilted. The panel had reportedly also flagged negligence on part of the three manpower agencies, engaged to look after the drain cleaning work in the city, citing it had worsened the situation.
Sources said the situation is particularly bad in the branch drains passing through low-lying areas of Kazi Bazar, Khatbin Sahi, Sutahat and Ganga Mandir Balu Bazar etc., which are heavily clogged with silt and garbage. However, neither has the civic body initiated any step to clean the drains nor taken any action against the manpower agencies concerned.
While the previous commitments are yet to be met, the CMC on Tuesday convened an emergency meeting with officials to discuss ways to tackle waterlogging situations during the upcoming monsoon. Mayor Subhas Singh said steps are being taken to clean the left out drains by June 15 to check incidents of waterlogging during heavy rainfall.
“We have also decided to engage extra manpower from the three outsourcing agencies, in charge of the drain desilting work in the city, to expedite the cleaning process,” he added. Singh further informed that three rapid action forces (RAFs) each having 10 officials, will be mobilised to deal with the situation. Additionally, 24 Volvo motors and 310 dewatering pump sets have been readied for installation in the low-lying areas, he added.