BHUBANESWAR: Wading through the drainage water has been a nightmare for commuters on the service road near Baramunda bus stand in the city for the last 10 days. According to Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC), a drain near the bus stand has been choked with garbage, following which filthy water is flooding on the road. Even after the BMC’s workers attempted to clean the drain twice, the problem persists, the locals alleged.
The road leading from Baramunda bus stand to CRPF Square has drains on both sides. While one of the drains is primary, the other one is linked to it. There is an underground passage through which the linking drain’s water flows to the main channel which is connected to Baramunda bus stand. The primary drain has been filled with filth which has led to a blockage and the water is flowing through the underground passage to the linking drain.
The reasons for the slit deposit and blockage of drains are said to be the unplanned development, irregular and inadequate maintenance work.An auto-rickshaw driver said there are three public toilets inside the bus stand which are connected with the main drain. Since the drain was blocked, filth from sewer lines of the toilets are also flooding the road. Similarly, the drains near the bus stand are not covered posing risk to the pedestrians. An underpass between Baramunda bus stand and the service road leading to Khandagiri Square has a pit which has worsened the situation, the locals said.
The Odisha State Road Transport Corporation (OSRTC) is collecting `15 from every bus per day and `10 from each auto-rickshaw and car for entering Baramunda bus stand. OSRTC is collecting the money for maintenance of the bus stand, but nothing is being done, said spokesperson of All Odisha Private Bus Owners’ Association Debashish Nayak.
Corporator of Ward-49 Aswini Kumar Sundaray said the drain comes under the jurisdiction of National Highways Authority of India (NHAI). BMC Mayor Ananta Narayan Jena recently asked the NHAI officials to replace the waste system pipeline of the drain.Contacted, NHAI Project Director Biju Patir said he has directed the contractor and engineers concerned to fix the problem immediately.