Govt's 'Open' Drain Construction Opens Floodgates Of Anger In Cuttack

Palpable tension prevailed at the Sector-7 of Cuttack Development Authority (CDA) area in Cuttack after local residents openly protested the construction of an open drain by the Cuttack Municipal Corporation (CMC).

As per reports, the Satellite City of CDA already has an underground drainage system. So the construction of an open drain in the area by the CMC has confused many residents.

The CMC was building an open drain near the Markat Nagar Police station in Sector-7 after getting complaints of waterlogging in the area due to a reportedly faulty road construction.

After looking at the narrowly built drain, however, several local residents fumed at the incharge officials and forced them to stop the construction.

Venting their fury, a local resident, Choudhury Abhilas Das said, “This is really unfortunate that in a Corporation like CMC, the basic amenities are getting down-graded. When there is already an underground system at place, it is difficult to understand why the CMC is building another open drain, without repairing and making necessary modifications in the underground system to relieve our waterlogging woes.”

Similarly, another local resident Pravas Pani termed the works of the CMC as vision-less. “The CMC has no vision for the CDA. The 2-feet wide drain is hardly of any use for this area. And on the top of it, the drain has already accumulated silt in it after last night’s rain. The CMC is now covering up this drain, but it will not solve our problems. The desilting work is not a regular job, and it will only multiply the mosquito breeding in the area,” Pani alleged.

The authorities at the CMC could not be contacted for comments over the matter.