Vehicles pass through a street with craters in Muzaffarpur. Picture by Prakash Kumar

Muzaffarpur, July 22: The heavy shower in the past few days has triggered multiple troubles for the residents — waterlogging and accidents while dodging potholes on roads.

The downpour and subsequent waterlogging has washed away layers of the streets. They have become too risky for the commuters.

There have been instances when motorcyclists have met with accidents by falling into potholes and overflowing manholes.

Continued waterlogging has added to the woes. Motijheel Road, the commercial hub of Muzaffarpur, is under water for the past 10 days. Pavement on both the flanks of the flyover in Motijheel is flooded with drain water. People are forced to wade through the polluted water every day.

Expressing his displeasure over the state of affairs in Motijheel and other parts of the city, North Bihar Chamber of Commerce and Industry (NBCCI) has requested the Indian Railways Construction (Ircon) unit and district magistrate Santosh Kumar Mall to repair the roads immediately.

Traders in Kalyani, Kedarnath Road, Motijheel Road are at the receiving end of the monsoon because the rain and waterlogging have adversely affected their business.

“Not many are turning up at our shops because of the swollen drains and broken roads,” said Mohammad Tufail, a tailor.

The Ircon, after constructing overbridges at railway crossing on Motijheel Road, shied away from constructing the roads of Muzaffarpur.

The traders of Motijheel, including the members of the NBCCI, has strongly resented the move of Ircon and demanded immediate intervention of the district magistrate in the matter.

Secretary to NBCCI, Motilal Chaparia said: “Rain and waterlogging have been affecting our business activities in Motijheel for the past five years. Customers avoid this area in this season because of broken roads and swollen drains.”

The Ircon, instead of repairing the roads already assigned to them, allegedly dug up a few places in various areas. It has piled up stone and bricks on the city roads for repair works. This has created further inconvenience to the commuters and the businessmen of the locality.

Moreover, the traffic congestion because of the repair work and waterlogging has emerged as a formidable threat on Motijheel Road.

On the other hand, the state government has asked the Muzaffarpur Municipal Corporation (MMC) to assist the team of a private agency, Voltas Solution, to make the city development plan.

Sources said the government is intending to wipe out the perennial waterlogging problem and other civic woes from the area during monsoon.

MMC commissioner Arun Kumar Singh said an expert team from Voltas Solution would soon inspect the city to prepare a detailed plan.