Gaya: At a time when Gaya Municipal Corporation (GMC) is pushing ahead with an ambitious beautification drive to improve the image of the temple town, delays in pre-monsoon desilting of drains have raised concerns over possible waterlogging in several parts of the city.The issue of slow pace of desilting emerged as a major concern during the municipal board meeting held on Monday. Members expressed concern that incomplete drain-cleaning work could affect the ongoing efforts to project Gaya as a cleaner and more organised city.The civic body has recently approved a series of development and beautification initiatives, that includes artistic installations at the major intersections from Gaya railway station up to the Vishnupad temple, that would display the mythological legacy of the city.Other initiatives include renovation of seven major ponds, construction of passenger sheds along key roads. However, councillors warned that poor drainage management ahead of the monsoon could overshadow these plans.Mayor Virendra Kumar aka Ganesh Paswan, who presided over the meeting, also expressed dissatisfaction over the slow pace of work. He said, “It is due to lack of coordination between sanitation agencies and the workers that barely 50% of drain-cleaning work has been completed in Gaya. If drains are not cleaned on time, even light rainfall could lead to waterlogging in many areas of the city.”He added: “Apart from the ongoing beautification project, the municipal board has approved around 267 road and drain construction projects worth Rs27 crore for all 53 wards to address long-pending civic issues. The civic body’s priority is to improve basic infrastructure and provide relief to residents from poor roads and waterlogging.”Councillor Naiyar Ahmad expressed concern over the casual approach for desilting the Batam nala on Ramna road, one of the busiest commercial areas of the city. Another ward councillor Ashok Kumar too echoed similar views over desilting of Kujapi drain and warned that many localities in ward number 18 could face serious waterlogging problems during heavy rains.
