Residents of Dhoka Mohalla are again facing problems due to the overflowing dirty water from the seasonal drain, even before the arrival of the monsoon season. The situation has worsened to such an extent that dirty water has started entering streets, creating foul smell and unhygienic conditions in the locality.
Area councillor Arun Sharma visited the affected locality and warned the Municipal Corporation authorities to resolve the issue within a week. He said if no action was taken, residents would stage a protest outside the Municipal Corporation office and dump the sludge and garbage coming from the Nullah there.
Residents alleged that dirty water was not only overflowing from the drain but was also seeping out through cracks on roads, making it difficult to differentiate between streets and drains in some areas. Locals also raised concern over a temporary wooden bridge constructed near the drain, claiming that it had started getting damaged and could lead to a major accident.
The councillor said the area had been facing the problem for the past three to four years. He claimed that during the rainy season in 2023 and last year, several houses and shops in the locality were badly affected due to waterlogging caused by overflowing Buddha Nullah.
He said residents had also staged a protest in February, demanding permanent solution but no major action had been taken by the civic authorities so far.
Sharma alleged that the work related to covering the Buddha Nullah and construction of a bridge was moving at a slow pace for the past two-three years. He claimed that officials had assured residents that pipeline work inside the drain would start soon but the work was yet to begin.
The councillor also alleged that despite repeated assurances by the Municipal Commissioner, zonal officials and engineers regarding cleaning of the drain, no proper desilting work had been carried out. According to him, heaps of garbage and sludge were still lying inside the drain and required cleaning through machines.
He further claimed that the pumping station in the area remained non-functional most of the time, worsening the situation during water accumulation. Sharma also questioned the quality of the temporary wooden bridge constructed around three to four months ago, saying it had already started breaking and posed a risk to residents, especially during the night.
Targeting the civic body, Sharma said the Municipal Corporation was making tall claims regarding cleanliness and issuing tenders worth crores but residents in old localities were still struggling with basic civic problems. He alleged that while funds were being spent on new vehicles and renovation works, residents of Dhoka Mohalla continued to suffer due to poor civic infrastructure and negligence.
Executive Engineer Kamal Ram said: “We are going to initiate the cleaning of the seasonal drain and work would be completed in 15 days. The matter is already under the knowledge of officials.”
