Three months on, choked drainage has turned this Lal Bazar lane into a cesspool

Srinagar, Aug 13: Residents of Barkat Lane in Botashah Mohalla of Lal Bazar Monday reiterated the pathetic condition of the choked drainage system in the area that frequently inundates the streets and causes inconvenience to the residents.

“The drainage got blocked a few months ago. Now the sewage and dirty water overflows in the lane and turns it into a cesspool,” a local representing other residents of the area told The Kashmir Monitor.

He said that a slight drizzle triggers a foot-deep inundation thus making it difficult for the residents to even venture out of their houses.

“The dirty water of the drain enters the residential houses. It is likely to cause damage to our homes,” he said.

The residents, as per him, have repeatedly approached the Srinagar Municipal Corporation and other concerned departments for around three months now.

“We apprised Executive Engineer City Drainage SMC, Superintending Engineer City Drainage SMC, Executive Engineer J&K UEED, as well as the NBCC of the problem. We sent them written representations against proper receipts, which are available with the Mohalla committee but nothing has been done to clear the blocked drain till date,” a member of the local Mohalla committee said.

Accusing the concerned departments of “passing the buck” to each other, the member added that no one is willing to perform their duties.

“What developments can we expect from such an administration which is unable to clear a blocked drain,” he said.

The issue continues to linger on even as Divisional Commissioner Kashmir, Baseer Khan, recently ordered all the concerned officers to immediately start de-silting of all drains in the city.

The Mohalla committee has now sought Governor’s intervention in the matter.