A man walks through a waterlogged stretch at Amrapalli of Sailashree Vihar in Bhubaneswar. Picture by Ashwinee Pati

Bhubaneswar, Jan. 19: Residents of Amrapalli and Saswat Vihar in Sailashree Vihar have to wade through drain water the moment they step out of their homes.

The lack of proper drainage system in the area has compounded their problem with dirty water often making into the homes.

The trouble for these residents began when a builder started construction on a private plot through which drain water used to pass. The path blocked, drain water began entering the houses that had been built with valid approval of the Bhubaneswar Development Authority.

Since then, the residents have lodged complaints with departments concerned but their plight has not changed.

As construction on the plot continues, drain water keeps entering into the houses of some of the residents regularly. During a police-public interface held last month, the residents highlighted their plight and requested the police commissioner to intervene into the matter. They even threatened a law and order situation if the problem remained unresolved for long.

“I had constructed my house in 1999. More than 14 years have elapsed, but the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation is yet to construct a drainage channel in the area. Drain water from the higher areas flows through private plots in the lower reaches. Whenever there is construction work in the lower region, drain water floods the area,” said P.C. Mohaptra, a resident of the area. Those living in the area said that after Phailin struck in October and rain lashed the state, the locality remained severely waterlogged for the next two months.

As the situation did not change, they approached the corporation, the development authority, the public health engineering organisation and other government offices, but none responded them.

R.K. Mohanty, the vice-president of the local Senior Citizens’ Welfare Association said that after dirty water deluge entered into houses, they had confronted the builder who was undertaking construction on the plot.

“After the police commissioner saw our plight, he ordered the local police inspector to make arrangements. It was temporarily solved,” said Mohanty.

Though corporation officials have visited the area following complaints, no steps have been taken.

The lack of response from the government officials has angered the residents.

They alleged that the corporation and the development authority had failed to perform the basic duties of building proper roads and drainage channels in the area.

“If our problems are not solved we will be forced to take law into our hands,” threatened an aggrieved resident.

Police commissioner, R.P Sharma, who visited the spot, found a big pond like structure amidst the houses filled with drain water.

He assured that he would talk to the officials concerned. “We will see that the problems of the local residents are solved. We will talk to the concerned departments,” said Sharma.

Reacting to the complaints, an official of the corporation said: “We will make a survey and see how the drain water can be diverted from the area. Unplanned construction in the area is making it difficult for us to construct a proper drainage channel,” said corporation commissioner Sanjiv Kumar Mishra.