A biker rides through rain on Fraser Road in Patna on Tuesday. Picture by Nagendra Kumar Singh

Urban development and housing minister Samrat Chaudhary on Tuesday convened a meeting to find out solutions to the waterlogging menace. Most elected representatives from Patna attended it, while Patna Sahib MP Shatrughan Sinha was away in New Delhi.

Pataliputra MP Ram Kripal Yadav came to the city from New Delhi early on Tuesday morning and took part in the meeting. But Shatrughan, who had faced protests while campaigning for the seat earlier this year, played truant.

During the meeting, the elected representatives blamed the faulty drainage system and encroachment over the drains for the frequent waterlogging in the city.

The Telegraph chalks out the minutes of the meeting:

Why was the meeting called?

Following the severe waterlogging in numerous areas twice over the past month — August 15 to 22 and from September 20 till date — minister Choudhary called the meeting to deliberate on short- and long-term solutions to prevent accumulation of excess rainwater in the future.

Who all were invited to the meeting?

The minister had called all elected representatives, including the Members of Parliament (MP) of the two Lok Sabha constituencies spread over Patna, Patna Sahib and Pataliputra, MLAs of the city apart from the mayor and deputy mayor. Senior officials, including the secretary of the urban development and housing department, Patna district magistrate, senior superintendent of police, municipal commissioner and managing director of Bihar Urban Infrastructure Development Corporation (BUIDCo), were also present in the meeting.

Where was Shatrughan?

An aide of the MP said Shatrughan was in Delhi on Tuesday

What had Shatrughan done during the mid-August waterlogging menace?

Shatrughan paid a visit to Rajendra Nagar on August 22, seven days after the water accumulation started. By then, most streets had dried up following which Shatrughan went inside Moinul Haque stadium, which was still inundated in ankle-deep water, in the presence of several photojournalists. As a result, his photographs appeared in several city-based newspapers, including The Telegraph.

How did minister Choudhary respond to Shatrughan’s absence in the meeting?

“We had invited all elected representatives, including the Patna Sahib MP. I am thankful to those who came. As far as Shatrughan is concerned, he should explain what all work he has done for his constituency,” said Choudhary.

What contribution did Ram Kripal Yadav, Shatrughan’s counterpart from Pataliputra constituency, make to the meeting?

Ram Kripal iterated that the issue of waterlogging was not new to Patna and it was the result of unplanned growth of the city and low capacity of the existing drainage system. He briefed the participants on the severely affected areas in western Patna, including Khagaul and Danapur.

“The drainage network in Patna is age-old and it has virtually collapsed. The capacity of drainage pipelines and sump houses is much lower than the inlet of waste water. The city needs more sump houses and an exhaustive long-term plan for overhauling the sewerage system,” he said.

What suggestions did the other elected representatives give?

Bankipore MLA Nitin Navin suggested the development of sump houses near Mithapur bus stand and near Rajendra Nagar railway overbridge. “A drainage line should also be developed along the New Bypass Road to prevent waterlogging in neighbouring colonies,” he said.

Kumhrar MLA Arun Sinha raised the issue of encroachment over drains and broken pits. Digha MLA Poonam Devi suggested the development of a big drain from Alpana Cinema Mor in Digha to Rajiv Nagar drain at Ashiana-Rajiv Nagar Mor.

What observations did urban development and housing secretary Sandeep Poundrik make?

“Severe waterlogging occurs in Patna every five to seven years, one of the underlying reasons being the transfer of officers at PMC. Thus, I would suggest that PMC should form a standard operating procedure to tackle waterlogging issues. Meanwhile, short- and long-term measures, including those related to the improvement of sump houses and sewerage pipelines, should also be formulated. Money is not an issue, implementation remains our concern,” said Poundrik.

What was minister Choudhary’s concluding address?

“The PMC should get extra labourers to clean drains and for sanitation ahead of Durga Puja and Id-ul- Zoha. PMC should also prepare a report on the number of sanitation workers it had over the past three years. Under the short-term measures to prevent waterlogging, connectivity of drains should be improved, whereas new drains should be constructed at the requisite places under the long-term plan. PMC should also send a letter to Patliputra Co-operative Society to offer them capacity augmentation of their two low-capacity sump houses,” said Choudhary.

Shatrughan’s take

I did not get any invitation for the meeting on waterlogging nor did I have any information about it. I came to Delhi from Patna yesterday (Monday) only. I personally want to talk to the state government on this issue, which I would when the chief minister comes to Delhi from London. I have already written a letter to the state government, demanding a sump house at Ashok Nagar. If I don’t get a positive response, then I would construct one on my own.

Officials affirmed on inviting the Patna Sahib MP. “A letter was delivered to Shatrughan’s Patna address four days ago, followed by a phone call the next day. Another call was made to his residence on Monday regarding change in the meeting venue,” said Anil Rai, officer on special duty, secretary, urban development and housing department.