Following the recovery of the body of 15-year-old school student Jyotirmay Behera who was swept away in a drain left open by the BMC authorities on Sunday, the Opposition parties on Monday targeted the State government accusing it of ‘killing’ the innocent child.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) members in Bhubaneswar gheraoed the BMC office at Kalpana Square and demanded the arrest of the Commissioner. A scuffle ensued between the agitators and the police after the former tried to storm the BMC campus.
Coming down heavily on the indifference of the BMC authorities towards human lives in the city, the President of the Bhubaneswar District BJP, Babu Singh said, “Deaths have become a regular occurrence in Bhubaneswar due to the BMC apathy. We demand the arrest of the BMC Commissioner, Sanjay Singh and allocation of Rs 50 Lakh compensation to victim’s family.”
Speaking in tandem, the District President of Bhubaneswar Congress, Biswajeet Dash said, “We have lodged an FIR against the BMC Commissioner and the State Swerage Board. We also demand compensation of Rs 50 lakh to the family of the deceased.”
Speaking on the death and the flooded drains in Bhubaneswar, BJD MLA, Ananta Narayan Jena said, “It generally rains here in June and July. Due to global warming, the rains have become more intense recently. People should be careful about the warnings and rain alerts issued by the government from time to time and should refrain from venturing out during such the warning period.”
“This accident is after all an accident. Moreover, it is a natural calamity. Everybody should be aware of the government guidelines,” he added.
Sources said Bhubaneswar has a stretch of around 800 km long drainage system including main and sub drains. Though there has been an increase in road accidents and deaths due to the open drains, the Opposition political parties alleged that Odisha government and civic authorities of the Smart City have remained indifferent to the grave issue.
On Sunday,the 15-year-old school student went missing after falling into an open sewer in Bhubaneswar. The student, identified as Jyotirmay Behera, was a native of Baramunda in the Smart City.
According to reports, Jyotirmay fell into the floodwater-filled turbulent drain with his cycle near Satabdi Nagar Bank Colony in Siripur area while going to attend tuition classes. His body was fished out on Monday.