Bhubaneswar Drain Mishap: Where Is The Plan & Where Is The Action: Aparajita Sarangi

Bhubaneswar: After meeting the parents of 15-year-old Jyoti Prakash Behera, who died after being swept away in a swollen drain, Bhubaneswar MP Aparajita Sarangi tweeted, “Where is the Plan and where is Action?”

She said that finding a permanent solution for the drainage issues will be a befitting tribute to the deceased child.

Stating that no amount of money can compensate the loss of the bereaved family, Aparajita offered a seat to Jyoti’s 4-year-old younger at Kendriya Vidyalaya under the MP quota and promised to bear his education expenses till Class XII.

BMC IN ACTION MODE?

Meanwhile, Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) decided to construct a culvert at the accident spot at Satabdi Naga and put up signage at places vulnerable to flooding during monsoon and heavy rain.

The 10 natural drains have shrunk as people having constructed houses along them and this often leads to flooding during heavy rain, the BMC sources said, adding that removal of encroachments remains a big challenge.

The corporation also said that it will come up with a long-term action plan to revamp the drainage system to free the capital of urban flooding problems. It will be done in accordance with the guidelines of the Supreme Court, National Green Tribunal as well as the State Pollution Control Board.

Temporary barricading will be done around vulnerable drainage points, especially in 13 stormwater drainage channels during monsoon to prevent such mishaps. Priority will be given to such points in the 75 locations, identified during a fresh assessment of urban flood vulnerability.

Also Read: 75 Points Vulnerable To Flooding In Odisha Capital, Cannot Cover Natural Drains: BMC Commissioner

“The entire drainage system will be redesigned and revamped to bolster the city’s drainage system to make it robust so that it could deal with heavy rainfall,” BMC Commissioner Sanjay Kumar Singh said.

Since the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has directed against covering natural drains, appropriate steps will be taken to prevent mishaps, the commissioner further said.

In 2014, the tribunal in an order to Delhi environment department had said that covering stormwater channels will result in increased toxicity and health hazards owing to trapped gases. If the channels are covered, it would hinder the work of cleaning and identifying chocked drains, it added.

Also Read: BMC Likely To Face Legal Heat Amid ‘Justice For Jyoti Prakash’ Demand