Bhubaneswar, Aug. 20: Twenty commuters have been injured in accidents in the city since last evening - thanks to worn out roads, which have become more mishap-prone following yesterday's continuous rain.

The victims were rushed to Capital Hospital and their conditions are stated to be stable.

Sources said four of these accident victims had fallen into an uncovered manhole on Rath Road at Old Town. One of them, Old Town resident Pravakar Sahu, 32, got hurt when his motorbike fell into the manhole on the road that remained inundated by rainwater last evening. He suffered injuries on his head and other parts of the body.

Another victim Santosh Sahu, 35, also faced similar fate when he could not spot the manhole near Badheibanka on the same road submerged by rainwater. "While trying to avoid the pool of water on the road, my bike skidded into the hole. Thank God I am alive," said Sahu.

Accidents, minor and major, were also reported from other areas such the Iskon temple at Nayapalli, GGP Colony, Lakshmi Sagar, Jharapada, Baramunda, Aiginia and Patia.

Had the drain and road jobs been over by the monsoon, the mishaps could have been averted.

The authorities said they had been taking every possible step to ensure that rainwater smoothly drained out. "I have been monitoring the drain repair activities and visiting various places to check the work progress. It will not be a problem any more," said mayor A.N. Jena.

Besides, a sewerage board official said they would erect barricades around the area where the work remained incomplete, so that commuters could spot the stretches to avoid.

Many residents complained that the drains had not been cleaned in their areas, while others said drain repair and construction had been going on in their localities for months.

At Bamikhal, Mancheswar, VSS Nagar and Pokhariput, the under construction railway overbridges have damaged the roads and the potholes created on the service roads have made communication difficult.

Similarly in other places, the roads have been dug up for laying sewer lines. Besides, the waste and construction materials dumped on roadsides often flow back drains, and in the process, drain water spills onto the roads posing a threat to the commuters.

"For the past one month, the road leading to Chakeisiani has been dug up for sewer job. Last evening, I had a close shave when my vehicle skidded near the dup up area," said Chakeisiani resident Srimay Panda.

The sewerage job has been going on across the city. Besides, road expansion is also being carried out in many places. Regarding drains, new ones are created or damaged ones are repaired. "Such works need co-ordination among various departments. Besides, most of the workforce had been engaged to ensure a smooth Nabakalebar for long. We are trying to finish the work as soon as possible, so that in the coming years there would not be any problems," said a senior officer of the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation.

"Lack of regular repair and poor engineering are the reasons behind such frequent damage to the roads," alleged Patia resident Sitakant Senapati.