Patna: With the monsoon intensifying and the threat of heavy rainfall looming, the Patna divisional administration on Saturday asked all civic and utility agencies to adopt a zero-tolerance approach towards waterlogging, warning that any road cutting without prior permission and immediate restoration would invite criminal proceedings and departmental action.Chairing a review meeting, divisional commissioner Mayank Warwade asked all departments to ensure close coordination to prevent urban flooding and minimise disruption during heavy rain. He said smooth drainage remained the govt’s top priority and asked officials to work proactively based on forecasts issued by the IMD.Warwade instructed agencies, including Patna Municipal Corporation (PMC), Bihar Urban Infrastructure Development Corporation (Buidco), road construction department, bridge construction corporation, metro rail authorities, district administration, National Highways Authority of India, electricity department and others, to complete all pending drainage-related works at the earliest. He warned officials found negligent or irregular in implementation would face legal and departmental action.Stating that any obstruction to stormwater drainage would amount to criminal negligence, Warwade directed district authorities to register FIRs under relevant provisions of the Disaster Management Act against defaulting agencies or officials if lapses resulted in waterlogging. He also asked all sub-divisional officers to regularly inspect vulnerable areas and ensure compliance with standard operating procedures.The commissioner ordered that no department, including Buidco, metro rail, Namami Gange, GAIL, BSNL or the electricity department, should undertake road cutting without obtaining prior no-objection certificates from the road construction department and restoring roads immediately after the work. Any violation, he said, would invite criminal proceedings and departmental action against the executive engineer or officer concerned.He also directed officials to minimise emergency response time, ensure round-the-clock cleaning and monitoring of major drains, and keep all drainage pumping stations operational throughout the monsoon.Buidco informed the meeting that 108 trolley-mounted pump sets had been deployed across the city for emergency operations, while 39 diesel generator sets had been installed at pumping stations. Officials also said work on 22 new drainage pumping stations is under way as part of the city’s long-term flood mitigation strategy.Warwade stressed that sustained coordination among all agencies would be crucial to preventing waterlogging during spells of heavy rainfall.
