It is the sixth day on Thursday for the residents of waterlogged Rajendra Nagar area in Patna, but there is no let-up in their miseries and woes. The neck-deep stagnant water has become black and putrid.
Carcasses of animals are floating in Rajendra Nagar Road No. 11 and people are still seen clamouring for safe drinking water and food from their rooftops and balconies.
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Though, the National Disaster Response Force personnel are still providing water bottles and food packets to people, very few boats could been seen plying on Thursday.
Theft from locked houses have been reported at the local Kadam Kuan police station.
Most people have vacated their residences and taken shelter at other places and in hotels.
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Despite tall claims, the district administration has failed to drain out stagnant water and restore electricity in Rajendra Nagar area. Top district officials could only be seen moving on tractors, giving instructions to those working on ground but the situation remains grim.
‘Epidemic threat’
Heavy pumps have been brought in from other places to drain out water but the level seems to remain high.
“Now, another danger of an epidemic is staring us in our face with this stagnant water...nothing seems to be moving in this area except NDRF boats,” Manoranjan Kumar, a resident of road No. 12 in Rajendra Nagar told The Hindu .
Those who were living on the ground floor of their house have lost their valuables and furniture over lakhs of rupees. Vehicles submerged in waterlogged areas too have become defunct.
“And, our Chief Minister asks up to have patience...for how long Mr. CM ?...its the sixth day today and we’re still trapped like in an island,” septuagenarian Ramchandra Sharma said.
Earlier, when asked about the pitiable condition of waterlogged areas of Patna, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar had told journalists in Patna, “when waterlogging happens in Mumbai and America no one says anything like this”.
“But, in Mumbai and America the logged water drains out in hours but here despite an alert by the meterological department for heavy rain, its sixth day the logged water has not been drained out,” said another resident Ajay Kumar.
Meanwhile, the Met Department has sounded another alert for heavy and moderate rain in 13 districts, including Patna.
“If it happens we, the residents of Rajendra Nagar, will either die of diseases or lack of drinking water”, young businessman Shailesh Kumar said.
“Mr. CM, please do something urgently for the residents of Rajendra Nagar...we’re helpless now”, he said.