Overflowing drains flood Madhusudan Nagar

BHUBANESWAR: Cyclone Phailin and the subsequent floods have aggravated the problems of sewerage at Madhusudan Nagar in Bhubaneswar, parts of which is flooded with sewer from the adjacent Old AG Colony.Unit IV of Madhusudan Nagar, which is about a km from the state secretariat, is under ankle-deep filth, thanks to overflowing manholes in Old AG Colony. The problem originated a few months back, but was not attended to. Heavy rains over the last two weeks have worsened the situation. The filth and sewer have formed cesspools near Mangala Temple, Rajdhani Pathagar, community park and Andhra Club."Since civic amenities and maintenance Old AG Colony is the responsibility of the Accountant General (AG) of Odisha, we personally met senior officials at the AG's office and requested them to take necessary action. We were told that since the problem is in our area, we better help ourselves," said Achyutananda Mohanty, secretary of Madhusudan Nagar residents' welfare committee. Expressing helplessness, local corporator Sasmita Nanda said, "The sewer channels at Old AG Colony are damaged, so the AG officials must urge the Central Public Works Department (CPWD) to do the needful. I have met them personally, but they have not bothered to take any step."Asked about the issue, Deputy AG (administration) Deepak Raju said, "We are aware of the issue. The sewerage channels are very old and need repair. We have requested the CPWD, but they refused saying the manholes are outside the boundary of the colony, so they are not supposed to repair the sewerage line." Asked how the issue can be resolved, mayor Ananta Narayan Jena said he would talk to the sewerage board and the public health department to repair and maintain the damaged channels.