First rain exposes tall claims of MC

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, June 11

The 4.3 mm rainfall that the city received on Sunday evening led to waterlogging in various areas due to choked drains. The tall claims of the Municipal Corporation of Bathinda and Triveni Company regarding desilting of drains have fallen flat in the first pre-monsoon showers.

The localities, which were affected, were low-lying areas, including Civil Station area near the District Administrative Complex, SSP residence, IGP residence, Power House Road, road outside Teachers’ Home and road near Dasmesh School among others. Though these areas keep getting waterlogged due to rain, a solution to the problem has still been elusive.

The water remained accumulated for the entire night and was disposed of on Monday morning, but the first pre-monsoon rain has raised alarm bells for the city residents.

It seems that this time too, they would hardly have any respite from waterlogging in the coming monsoon season.

Jatin Goyal, a city resident, said “The short spell of rain made things tough. We are worried what will happen during the monsoon. The Municipal Corporation of Bathinda should make arrangements to check waterlogging. This shows drains are not being cleaned properly.”

Another city resident Sukhraj Singh said the Municipal Corporation should take steps to install a storm drainage system to tackle waterlogging. Residents living in low-lying areas face a lot of trouble during the rains, he added.

Atul Garg, a resident of the Power House Road area, said, “The MCB should start the desilting work ahead of the monsoon. Every year, MCB officials release schedule of desilting, but nothing happens at the ground level. It seems that the whole thing is merely an eyewash as water always remained accumulated on roads after the rains.”

Bathinda Mayor Balwant Rai Nath said, “Tackling waterlogging is our top priority and we are working on it. The work of increasing the capacity of ponds to divert the rainwater is already in progress in the city.”