Bhubaneswar: Taking strong exception to the unprecedented waterlogging in the capital city, Congress activists on Monday pumped water into the office of the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) in Unit-8 area as a mark of protest.
Activists led by the president of Bhubaneswar District Congress Committee Manas Choudhury and Suresh Routray barged into the NHAI office and poured water in the rooms with a hose pipe. They also sprayed water at some of the officers.
Despite reminding NHAI authorities of the severe waterlogging in the state capital, especially in the ISKCON Temple area in Nayapally on National Highway-16 where even four-wheelers were seen floating on about 4-5 feet of stagnant rainwater on Saturday, the latter has taken no steps till date, alleged the Congress members.
“The people of Bhubaneswar and Cuttack are left without food as rainwater has entered their house. Today’s incident is just a trailer. If the authorities fail to take up necessary measures, we will fill their houses with water,” Choudhury told mediapersons here.
Taking a dig at the state government, Routray said that instead of taking credit for making Bhubaneswar a smart city, the state government must take up work on war-footing to discharge stagnated rainwater from all low-lying areas of the city.
“This is only the beginning. We will give sleepless nights to the government if it does not take up the issue at the earliest,” he added.
Talking to mediapersons, a senior NHAI official said the Authority should not be held responsible for this situation. The job of the NHAI is to the construct drains for the discharge of carriageway water.
“We have made drains for this purpose. But if the water from other areas of the city accumulates at one place, then the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) has to intervene and take up necessary measures to clear the waterlogging,” he pointed out.
Briefing newsmen later in the day, BJP state vice-president Samir Mohanty said, the protest by the Congress members has made it clear that the party is working at the behest of the BJD.
The fact is that NHAI sanctions money for the construction of drains which is taken up by the Works Department.
“In a letter to the Works Department in March this year, NHAI had sought details regarding the construction of drains. The latter is yet to give a detailed project report (DPR),” he pointed out.
