Patna City that gave birth to modern day Patna is not being taken care of. While the mother is being neglected,  the child is being nurtured well it seems.

Patna, the town which we know today, started developing from Patna City in Patna Sahib constituency, but residents here still complain of missing basic amenities such as drinking water, electricity and cleanliness. From being the birthplace of tenth Sikh preacher — Guru Gobind Singh — and having the oldest church in the state — Padri ki Haveli — to being the wholesale trade centre of central Bihar, Patna Sahib is significant for numerous reasons. However, most areas in the constituency still look like a cluttered village.

A part of Patna Sahib Lok Sabha seat, Patna Sahib Assembly constituency comprises ward numbers 18, 21, 24, 26, 29, 33 to 36 of Patna Municipal Corporation (PMC). Though more than five lakh people live in the constituency, the conditions in most neighbourhoods, including Khajekalan, Nehru Tola, Marufganj and Jhauganj, are not fit to live because of congested lanes with open drains and other unhygienic conditions leading to frequent outbreak of deadly diseases like dengue and malaria.

Water woes

Water supply has been a perennial issue in most areas of Patna City. The supply pipelines in this part of the city are of the British era, thus, mostly damaged. Consequently, people are forced to drink polluted water. “The three water towers became defunct in the past decade, following which several pump houses were constructed. The polluted water supplied by the civic body spreads water-borne diseases,” said Anil Kumar, a resident of Khajekalan.

Anniversary angst

Around 5 lakh Sikh devotees from across the world are expected to visit Takht Sri Harmandir Sahib in December 2016-January 2017 to celebrate the 350th birth anniversary of the 10th Sikh Guru Gobind Singh. The preparation for the grand event started in 2013 but the progress is sluggish.
Daljit Singh, the superintendent at Takht Sri Harmandir Sahib, said: “The work done by the state till now is far behind than initially committed by them for the 350th birth anniversary celebration of Guru Gobind Singh. No work has been done for development of Gobind Nagar, a tented city to be developed over an area of 50 acres between Kangan Ghat and Pathar Ghat.”

MLASpeak

Around 95 per cent of the internal roads were concretised and the Mangles Tank was redeveloped during my tenure. I pledge to improve the water scarcity and snarl scenario 
— Nand Kishore Yadav