I am a resident of Machchli Gali. Last week, we lived literally like fish, as the name of our neighbourhood suggests. The narrow lane, where I live was flooded in the downpour of September 2. I read in The Telegraph on Wednesday (September 4, 2013) that Patna had received record rainfall of 150mm. So, waterlogging could not be avoided. Three days after that, the Patna Municipal Corporation and Bihar Rajya Jal Parishad claimed they could drain out the water within 24 hours. That did not happen.
Besides the problems in commuting that waterlogged roads create, stagnant water is also a concern for us because it allows mosquitoes to breed easily and can lead to a spread in vector-borne diseases. As it is, there is a dengue outbreak in the state and Patna, too, has reported a few cases.
Uttam Singh
We, the ordinary consumers of electricity, have forgotten to protest as we are unaware which forum will address our grievances. I am a resident of Kankerbagh in Patna for the past 20 years. I have been paying rent, along with electricity bill, regularly every month. But for the last three years, it has been observed that as the tenants do not have any separate electricity meter, they are charged Rs 5 per unit even if the consumption of power is less than 100 units.
Some of us have even talked to the officials concerned, but in vain. Therefore, we have been paying at an increased rate for the past three years. And add to that the hikes proposed every year by the Bihar Electricity Regulatory Commission.
Debabrata Das, Kankerbagh
I reside in Indira Nagar. My house is just next to the Bypass Road. The city’s garbage is dumped over there. People burn garbage, polythene and tyres and the smoke comes into our house. Due to this, we always keep our windows closed. This may cause some respiratory problems among the residents of our locality.
People also dump animal carcasses, which can result in some deadly diseases.
I would like to draw the attention of the authorities concerned towards this issue through your newspaper. It will perhaps prompt necessary action from the Patna Municipal Corporation.
Navin R. Gautam, Indira Nagar
Cities generally improve with the passage of time. Patna has chosen to be an exception when it comes to improving its traffic system.
The city’s traffic was much better in the 1970s and ’80s in comparison to the present situation. It has become very difficult to move on the city roads, thanks to the ever increasing number of vehicles without concomitant addition in the length and breadth of the roads. It is true that some roads have been widened and a few flyovers have been added, but these steps are not sufficient to manage things. The government has failed miserably when it comes to ensuring adherence to traffic rules. This is happening because those responsible for managing city traffic are less interested in implementing the rules and more in the extra bucks which they can pocket from rule violators. The apathy of those ruling the state towards this problem is logical because they do not face the snarls. I just hope that good sense would prevail over these people and some concrete steps would be taken to address the issue.
Jyoti Singh
I am a doctor. My clinic is in the Danapur area and I get a lot of road accident cases. Most of the cases are of bike accidents and the main reason is the sand spread all over the New Bailey Road and the roads near Saguna Mor. Many tractors loaded with sand, which come from the Sone region, ply on the roads of the Danapur area and none of them are covered. This causes the sand to spread all over the road and bikes skid due to the sand on their pathway. There is no step taken by the local administration or the municipal body to keep the roads clean. I, on behalf of all the residents of the Danapur area, request you to highlight this problem so that we can get rid of the sand and the daily accidents.
Dr Vijay Kumar, Danapur
I am writing to you about the traffic problems I face on a daily basis. I live in Khagaul, Danapur, and my office is near Dakbungalow Chowk. In the evening, when I am on my way back home, I face traffic jam near Jagdeo Path Mor. One of the reasons is the construction of the flyover but my concern is more than that. My main concern is the entry of heavy vehicles like trucks at the time their entry is prohibited. The truck drivers bribe the traffic police for the entry. They pay Rs 10 to Rs 20 for each vehicle. Same is the situation during the daytime. Kindly highlight this traffic and bribery issues in your newspaper, so that the local administration gets to know about it and citizens like me get relief from the traffic jams.
Kundan Singh, Khagaul
