Rains expose monsoon unpreparedness by Cuttack, Bhubaneswar civic bodies

It turns out to be the same story with acute waterlogging conditions in several low-lying pockets in the twin cities of Cuttack and Bhubaneswar after a brief spell of rainfall in the monsoon this year. Several parts of the coastal areas of Odisha on Saturday experienced heavy rainfall activities, leading to waterlogging conditions in several parts.

The waterlogging conditions created problems for the residents of Rausapatna, Meria Bazar, Pithapur, and other areas in Cuttack following the rainfall activities. Similar was the scene in Bhubaneswar where rainwater accumulated on major streets and bylanes in different parts. The condition was more acute near the ISKCON temple and other areas in the Capital city.

The waterlogging conditions in the twin city have exposed the monsoon unpreparedness of Cuttack Municipal Corporation (CMC) and Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC).

"The Mayor only speaks a lot of things, but work is almost zero. The Mayor is keen to remain in the news only for publicity. We are suffering due to waterlogging conditions in case of a brief spell of rain. Whenever there is waterlogging, we have to buy food from hotels," alleged a resident of Rausapatna in Cuttack.

Bhubaneswar Mayor Sulochana Das said, "Whenever there is heavy rainfall, waterlogging conditions are also witnessed in cities like Delhi and Mumbai. In connection with the waterlogging in front of the Commissionerate Police office, we have called R&B engineers to review the problem."

Das further said that earlier BMC had taken measures for prior desilting of drains ahead of monsoon. "But for several reasons, people are throwing waste in drains which are choking them. There is heavy flow in the Jayadev Vihar area and steps are being taken to resolve the issue at the earliest."