60 uncovered drains pose threat to pedestrians, motorists

Bareilly: A three-year old missing girl, who was presumed to have fallen into an open drain in Subhashnagar on Wednesday night was found in a temple on Thursday. The locals alleged that despite repeated requests, they received little help from Bareilly Municipal Corporation (BMC) for initiating a rescue operation. The locals also expressed concern over 60 deep and uncovered drains of the city, which pose a serious risk to the lives pedestrians and motorists. To evade any major accidents in the future, locals have written to the BMC asking for ‘immediate covering of the drains’.

According to residents, open drains in the city are giving them a harrowing time, and the Subhashnagar incident brings to light the lackadaisical approach of the authorities to maintain civic infrastructure.
“Though the girl did not fall into drain, many cases have been reported from across the city where people and animals have died or sustained severe injuries after falling into open drains. As ironical as it may seem that the municipal authorities have sufficient budget for reconstructing a smooth road but lack funds to merely cover these deathly traps,” said Nadeem Shamsi, a social activist.

Pradeep Kumar, a faculty member at Bareilly College, told TOI, “Just like other cities, it is the duty of the municipal corporation to cover drains with net. The exercise will save commuters from falling into it. Moreover, since people will not be able to throw garbage in it, it will prevent choking of sewer lines.”

A resident of Quila area, Milan Sharma said, “Open drains have not been barricaded or demarcated by civic body to alert commuters. A few locals have fallen into it while commuting on road as these drains are often not visible to the eye. It is a serious issue and we want authorities to take immediate action on it.”

When asked on the issue, city mayor Dr IS Tomar, said that it would require 5 to 6 crore to fix cover Subhashnagar drains. “We have not been able to cover drains as it is an expensive affair. Covering Subhashnagar drain will cost us around 5 to 6 crore, and there are many large open drains in the city. We will try to cover the drains in phases.” He also said that he would relay the matter to the state government to take action against those officials who did not try to help locals on Wednesday.