Fed up with the unhygienic conditions caused by the Titarpur drain running through his neighbourhood, a resident of Raghubir Nagar colony, D. K. Sharma, took it upon himself to find out why the authorities have so far failed to cover the drain that is full of garbage and causes reverse flow of sewer into many adjoining households.
With all the garbage being dumped into the drain, it has also become a big sludge and very often animals and even human beings fall into it. “On December 18, a woman who lived right next to the drain in jhuggi 14/15 in N-Block of Raghubir Nagar fell into the drain and died. Her life would have been saved had the drain been covered,’’ lamented Mr. Sharma.
What compounds matters is that on both sides of the drain are heavily populated areas of Blocks B-1, B-2, L, M and N of Raghubir Nagar. “It is this stretch which needs to be covered promptly to prevent human tragedies,’’ he said.
Incidentally as per a board installed near Holy Child School Chowk, work on reconstruction and covering of the drain should have started in July 2009.
However, on the ground nothing has changed in these past seven months. “I filed an RTI appeal with the MCD in November 2009 to enquire if they had any plans for covering the drain or if any money had been spent on it and they replied on December 29 that Rs.4.99 lakhs have already been spent on covering a part of it. Where has that money gone?’’
Moreover, Mr. Sharma said the Corporation has denied that it has plans to cover the drain along its complete length. “Only a part of the drain up to the Holy Child School is covered and beyond that over a kilometre of the drain, which is five feet wide and six feet deep, runs uncovered. Urgent action is needed,’’ he added.
