(Above) Traffic jam at Mangalabag because of construction materials being kept on the road and (below) waterlogging in the same area. Pictures by Badrika Nath Das

Cuttack, March 6: Local residents and commuters at Mangalabag Square had a harrowing time today owing to the repairing if a drain, which left the road waterlogged.

“The entire road is waterlogged. It is after a long time that works have been initiated for the repair of the clogged drains. However, as steps were not taken for the passage of the drain water, it started to overflow causing much inconvenience,” said Ranjit Das, a shop owner.

“It is good that repair work of the drain has begun. But the workers should have ensured that the natural path for the flow of water was not blocked.

Similarly, as steps were not taken to divert waste water from the drain, there was waterlogging on the main road,” said Manmohan Samal (36), a local resident.

Mangalabag is one of the busiest area in the city with the S.C.B. Medical College and Hospital and important government offices located here.

According to local residents, all the drains from the locality are connected to the main culvert near the S.C.B. Medical College, which is also in bad shape. Moreover, the width of the road starts to narrow as one approaches the S.C.B. Medical College from the main road. Since all the construction materials including bricks and slabs were placed on one side of the road, it created problems for the smooth flow of the traffic in the area.

“The area has become totally chaotic because of the waterlogging and the construction materials,” said Jyoti Behera (27), another local resident.

Local councillor Prabitra Bhuyan admitted that the repair work of the drain caused much inconvenience to the residents. “Efforts have been initiated to repair the drains in the locality in a phased manner. However, the condition of the existing drain from Mangalabag to Engineering School is in bad shape. Hence, it required immediate repairs,” said Bhuyan.

Repair works were being carried out on a war footing and all the problems including waterlogging would be solved in couple of days. The waterlogging and drainage problems in the area would be solved to a great extent after the project is completed, the councillor added.