Civic Body Faces Heat Over Drain Cleaning Lapses as Protest Forces ₹66.90 Crore Drainage Proposal

The issue was first highlighted on June 7 through a campaign exposing the condition of the city's drainage system and warning that inadequate cleaning would inevitably lead to severe waterlogging. Despite repeated complaints from Bharatiya Janata Party Councillor Kishan Nayak to Municipal Commissioner Santosh Kumar, Assistant Municipal Commissioner Ashok Priya Gautam, and Municipal Health Officer Dr. Sanjeev Verma, the drain remained largely untouched. Although officials conducted inspections, cleaning work failed to begin on nearly 70 percent of the underground section and 30 percent of the open drain. The damaged boundary wall along the drain was also left unrepaired.

According to the Municipal Corporation, the city has 18 major drains and 251 medium-sized drains, all of which were scheduled to be cleaned by June 15. However, the cleaning drive was allegedly reduced to a mere formality, with the Sultan Ganj Bridge–Jeevani Mandi drain remaining uncleared.

Following publication of the report exposing the condition of the drain, officials carried out cleaning in only a limited portion of the affected area. On Thursday at 5 p.m., Councillor Kishan Nayak staged a symbolic protest by standing inside the drain and cutting a birthday cake with his supporters to mark his 42nd birthday. The unusual demonstration drew widespread attention and intensified criticism of Municipal Corporation officials.

The incident also reached the Chief Minister's Office, which reportedly expressed displeasure over the matter and sought a report from the Municipal Corporation. Public representatives also questioned the functioning of civic officials over the prolonged neglect of the drainage system.

In response to the growing controversy, engineers from the Water Corporation's Construction Division completed a survey and prepared a proposal for a reinforced cement concrete drain within seven hours. Municipal Commissioner Santosh Kumar stated that a new reinforced cement concrete drain would be constructed under the Smart Water Drainage Scheme at an estimated cost of ₹66.90 crore. The proposal was forwarded to the state government at 7 p.m., and construction will commence after official approval is granted.

Councillor Kishan Nayak thanked the newspaper for bringing the issue of neglected drain cleaning into public focus. He stated that until the new drainage system is constructed, the existing drain must undergo complete desilting and cleaning. He further demanded that all other drains across the city that remain uncleared should also be cleaned to eliminate the recurring problem of waterlogging.

The episode has intensified public attention on urban infrastructure and municipal accountability, with the proposed ₹66.90 crore drainage project now emerging as a direct administrative response to prolonged complaints and mounting public pressure over the city's neglected drainage network.