Overflowing drains make life hellish in Jehanabad

JEHANABAD: With the onset of pre-monsoon showers, the district headquarters town of Jehanabad has once again turned into a city of overflowing drains. The residents are condemned to live amidst the most unhygienic living conditions. If quick cleaning operation is not undertaken on war footing to rid the town of its unbearable burden of garbage and filth, it may soon lead to outbreak of diseases caused by bacterial infections.
Several thickly populated localities of the town like Gareriakhand, Khutbanchak, Shaikh Alam Chak, Vishunganj, Dhibrapar, Ramgarh and Shantinagar, chronically waterlogged as they are, have become a haven for deadly germs. The fogging machine purchased by the Nagar Parishad about three years ago is seldom used to combat the mosquito menace in the town. Drain water can be seen overflowing on several important roads like the Main Road, Raza Bazar Road, Kutchery Road, Khan Bahadur Road and Thakurbari Road.
The condition of lanes and bylanes is worse. In some of the localities like Mallahchak, Raza Bazar, Vishunganj and Utari and Dakshini Daulatpur, the residents have to wade through ankle-deep muddy water to reach home.
Much of the drain water of the town flows through a nullah. A huge amount is annually spent on its desilting and repair but it continues to be as choked as ever. One does not know how and when the money goes down the drain. The main road between the Town police station and the Jehanabad railway station, which is the lifeline of the town, is in bad shape. Besides being hazardous to life due to potholes and open manholes, the road gets muddy in the rainy season as there is total absence of drainage along the road. The condition of the stretch between Arwal Mor and Raza Bazar is horrible as the residents have to wade through ankle deep muddy water below the railway bridge.
Bageshwari Sharma, a social activist, says, "I commute between my residence located in Raza Bazar and the main market very painfully." Summing up the civic scene, a CPI-ML activist, Santosh Keshri, says, "Between potholes and flowing drains, it is sometimes difficult to find roads in localities like Ramgarh, Shahid Bhagat Singh Nagar and Daulatpur in the town. Just one moderate shower leads to ankle to knee-deep waterlogging in these localities."
When contacted, Nagar Parishad chairperson Dev Kali Devi attributed the delay in undertaking cleaning operation to the recently-concluded Lok Sabha election. "Now we are all set to launch a massive cleaning drive in the town in the next few days," she said.