Ranchi: Choked and overflowing drains, heaps of garbage and muddy puddles - residents of wards 32 and 33 of RMC in the heart of the city share some common problems.

Councillors Sunita Devi (Ward 32) and Ashok Yadav (Ward 33), who are contesting the municipal polls this time too, are facing a strong anti-incumbency wave.

" Woh ayen to fir unko batatae hain ki chunav kaisa hota hai (Let them come, we will teach them all about election)," Amit Kumar, a resident of Birla Ground locality in Ward 32, said.

Birla Ground is the only open and spacious plot of land left for people to organise festivals and sports."The ground is used to dump garbage collected from the neighbouring wards. Though the ground falls under Ward 32, the councillor disowns it," said Nandan Verma, a resident of Indrapuri Road 7.

In Aryapuri, Alkapuri and Shivpuri, dirty water spills out of choked drains. Indrapuri Colony, which covers a vast area in both wards, gets flooded during monsoon.

"There is no provision of door-to-door trash collection. People throw trash in drains and at open places," Alkapuri resident Rita Devi said.

Residents of Ward 33 consider Yadav to be slightly better than his counterpart.

Ward 33 covers roads 1-6 of Indrapuri Colony, part of Sukhdeonagar, RRB Colony, Sangam Kothi, Sarovar Nagar and Kathalgonda.

"Yadav has done some good work in slums like Kathalgonda that didn't have a road till a few years back. Poor drainage, garbage collection and patches of bad roads are a cause for concern," said Daroga Singh of Indrapuri Road 1.

Both wards share part of Kanke dam, which has witnessed the mushrooming of unauthorised construction eating into its catchment area. Dirty drain water from both the wards has its outfall in the dam.

"A concrete step must be taken to save this reservoir," B.K. Bhattacharya, a resident of Sarovar Nagar, said.