February 21st 2025.
Storm water management continues to be a pressing issue in the busy Silk City of Berhampur. Despite efforts by the Berhampur Municipal Corporation (BeMC) to find a permanent solution, the problem of waterlogging during monsoon season still persists in almost every ward. The Sanitation department of the civic body had instructed the responsible agencies to speed up the process of desilting drains last year. However, their efforts fell short and the work was not carried out efficiently.
As a result, the streets of Berhampur were left in a state of chaos, with overflowing drains spilling onto the roads. In some areas, the roads and drains even merged, causing inconvenience to commuters. Tragically, in ward number 2, a young student named Sairam Patra lost his life after being swept away in an open drain. This incident prompted BeMC to take immediate action by barricading and covering the open drains and putting up warning signs. Despite these measures, many large drains in different neighborhoods remain clogged and open, posing a threat to the safety of residents.
To address the issue of waterlogging, the state Urban Development department proposed a project to improve drainage from Brajanagar to Jyoti Nagar and prevent urban flooding. The State Disaster Management department also allocated Rs 1.63 crore for this project on December 15, 2023. Later, in a corporation meeting held on September 26, 2024, a resolution was passed to move forward with the project.
Following this, the standing committee approved a tender proposal on September 5, 2024. A private firm named Sajan Acricet was chosen to design the project and was promised 1.5% of the approved funds for their work, excluding survey and soil testing costs. However, despite the allocation of funds, the project has not made any progress. According to sources within BeMC, the project is still stuck at the proposal level and the allocated funds have not been spent.
During the last session of the state Assembly, Berhampur MLA Anil Kumar raised questions about the measures taken by the municipal corporation to address rainwater drainage, sewerage, and drainage systems in the city. He inquired why the BeMC had not taken any action on the proposed project. However, when contacted, BeMC Commissioner Bhabani Prasad Mishra did not provide any response. It seems that the issue of storm water management in Berhampur is still far from being resolved.
[This article has been trending online recently and has been generated with AI. Your feed is customized.]
[Generative AI is experimental.]
