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| FINALLY, MONSOON IS HERE: The rain god made a dramatic entry into the twin cities on Monday afternoon, giving a much-needed relief from the scorching heat. The dark cape of clouds forced many drivers to switch on their car headlights in the capital. It rained for over two hours in Bhubaneswar and about an hour in Cuttack. Bhubaneswar received 57.2mm of rainfall while Cuttack recorded 60.4mm. Picture by Sanjib Mukherjee |
Bhubaneswar/Cuttack, June 18: The longing for the monsoon ended this afternoon for residents of the twin cities. However, the rain brought with it its share of woes as well, waterlogging many parts of the cities, making the tall pre-monsoon urban maintenance claims of the respective civic bodies fall flat at the very onset of the season.
While showers lashed the capital for more than two hours, it rained for over an hour in Cuttack. Met officials said while the capital received 57.2mm rainfall between 8.30am and 5.30pm, Cuttack received 60.4mm rainfall.
As desiltation of the natural drainage channels was not undertaken in the capital before the monsoon, low-lying areas and places near the drainage channels suffered from waterlogging following today’s shower. Residents of ward No. 23 residing behind Odisha Police Housing Corporation almost faced the threat of flooding by an overflowing channel No. 4.
“The authorities had assured us of initiating measures for desiltation of the natural drainage channels and removal of encroachment along these before the monsoon. But, they failed keep their word,” said advocate Prabir Das, a resident of ward No. 23.
Apart from the places near drainage channels No. 4, 10 and 6, many major roads and junctions such as Sriya Square, Raj Bhavan Square, Ravi Talkies Square, Bidyut Marg, Mausima Square, Cuttack Road and areas such as Soubhagya Nagar Phase-II, Baramunda, Acharya Vihar, Chintamaniswar, Laxmisagar, Brahmeswar and Bhimatangi were also waterlogged fol lowing the shower today.
To add to the woes of the residents of the capital, the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) is suffering from a severe staff crunch. While the capital’s population has gone up to nearly 10 lakh, there has been no increase in the BMC’s staff strength. “With this skeletal staff and growing work pressure, the execution of work is suffering badly,” said municipal commissioner Vishal Kumar Dev.
A senior BMC official said: “There should be four executive engineers in our two engineering divisions. But, we have two in-charge executive engineers doing the job. Similarly, instead of 13 assistant engineers, six are looking after the entire civic and development work. While there should be at least 39 junior engineers in the corporation, there are only 11 at present.”
In Cuttack, too, drain water flowed onto major roads following today’s shower.
“It rained for almost an hour. All the major drains are overflowing. Many vehicles were stuck on the road because of waterlogging,” said Sagar Pradhan, a resident of Badambadi.
Areas such as Badambadi, Pithapur, Jhola Sahi, Katagada Sahi, Jhanjirmangala, Bangali Sahi, Nandi Sahi, Choudhry Bazar, Balu Bazar, Kazi Bazar, Mehendipir and Mahanadi Vihar faced severe waterlogging following today’s shower.
“Many areas of the city got waterlogged in just an hour’s rainfall. So, one can imagine what a longer spell of rain can do,” said Dolamundai resident Kulamani Das.
Though officials of the Cuttack Municipal Corporation (CMC) claimed that desiltation of all major drains had been completed, most of the drains in the city are still clogged, resulting in waterlogging in various areas.
Work on widening of smaller drains is yet to be completed in many parts of Cuttack city.
However, not letting today’s waterlogging dampen their spirits, many people in the twin cities enjoyed the first showers by getting soaked with their friends and relatives. “We waited for the monsoon for long. This has come as a huge relief from the unbearable heat,” said Sagarika Swain, a student.
BRING ON THE RAINS BY...
…FLAUNTING YOUR FOOTBALL FRENZY
Let the Euro fever rule for the next few days… drool over the Ronaldos, flood your home with soccer knick-knacks or flaunt the jerseys of your favourite team
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…BUYING SOME COOL RAIN GEAR
Set a fashion statement! Shun your boring rain gear, go bright and add dollops of colour with flashy floral prints, a see-through polka-dot umbrella, bright red rubber pumps, high boots and colourful capris
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…CATCHING THE LATEST FLICKS
If you are a fan of Akshay Kumar, flicks that defy general logic or OTT humour, Rowdy Rathore is the movie for you. Those looking for serious or meaningful cinema, watch Shanghai to get your grey cells working overtime
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…RUSTLING UP NEW FLAVOURS
Be it watching on-field action late into the night or simply enjoying the rain while reading a book, nothing is complete without lip-smacking goodies. So, if you’ve been salivating as little chefs come up with mouth-watering treats on Junior Masterchef but dreading the
heat in the kitchen cauldron, it’s time to put on the apron and cook up a storm
