Varanasi: Varanasi Municipal Corporation’s pre-monsoon drain-cleaning drive has come under scrutiny as several parts of the city continue to face waterlogging after rainfall, despite the civic body claiming that 364 of the city’s 386 small and large drains were cleaned.Residents of Jaiprakash Nagar Colony in the Shivpurva locality submitted a memorandum to the municipal commissioner’s office on Tuesday, demanding immediate cleaning of choked drains and repair of damaged slabs in their lane.They alleged that a drain cleaned by the municipal corporation’s health department remains blocked because silt beneath the concrete slabs was not removed properly.“The drain overflows into the lane even after a brief spell of rain,” said local resident Ram Bilas Singh, adding that sewage continues to overflow even during dry weather.Another resident, HKP Sharma, said rainwater mixed with sewage inundates the lane due to the choked drain.Residents said Mayor Ashok Tiwari had inspected the area last year and directed officials to remove the covered slabs, clean the drain thoroughly and replace the slabs afterward. They alleged that although the tender process for the work was completed four months ago, the cleaning has yet to begin.The mayor said he was aware of the issue and that it would be addressed soon.
