City sees red as monsoon threat looms over drains

Allahabad: With the onset of monsoon barely a few weeks away, the municipal corporation is yet to clean drains clogged with silt and garbage, leaving several localities in Allahabad vulnerable to the danger of waterlogging.

Given that these drains prevent rain water from flooding localities, the Prayagraj Municipal Corporation (PMC) is yet to swing into action. Wherever the civic agency has started cleaning up drains, the efforts are not enough.

“While PMC workers came to our colony to unclog drains, only half of the locality was covered under the drive. Whenever we get the season’s first rain, water from the drains is likely to inundate the streets,” said Sanjeev Kerservani, a resident of Preetamnagar.

Another locality which has been bearing the brunt of the municipal corporation’s apathy is Katra.

“There are several drains in this locality which are clogged and have been unattended. As a result, we get the drains cleaned ourselves by hiring private sanitary workers. It’s a busy market which is visited by hundreds of people every day. If the roads are inaccessible due to waterlogging, then we would lose out on business,” said Deepak Sanyal, a shopkeeper of Old Karta area. Local corporator Kamlesh Singh said barring some big drains PMC is yet to clean drains in smaller localities. “Be it Mori gate, the main drain of Daraganj or the one located in Allahapur are all choked with uncollected garbage. The situation calls for immediate attention,” said the corporator.

Municipal commissioner Ujjawal Kumar said, “We have expedited the work of cleaning the drains and have even roped in private agencies to speed up our efforts. We will also use vacuum suction machines to clear the underground drains and pipelines. There is no need for people to get worried.”

The municipal commissioner said that the encroachment of drains was a problem which was hindering AMC’s operations. “Often people get these drains covered with concrete slabs and uncovering these drains often take up more time and money than is required.”