Prayagraj: Waterlogging at CMP Degree College has persisted for over a week, prompting hundreds of students and teachers to protest on Monday against the failure to drain the campus. The protest came amid a wider waterlogging crisis in Prayagraj, with roads outside CMP submerged and dirty water entering homes and student accommodation.Students and teaching staff of CMP Degree College, a constituent college of Allahabad University, staged a protest outside Gate No. 1, demanding immediate action to clear the water. The demonstration was led by principal Prof Ajay Prakash Khare, former mayor and governing body chairperson Chaudhary Jitendra Nath Singh and teachers’ association president Prof Rajat Kumar Srivastava.Protesters said the problem was no longer confined to rainwater, with water from an overflowing drain and sewer allegedly flowing back into the college grounds, leaving stagnant, foul-smelling water. The conditions have made it difficult for students and teachers to attend classes and carry out routine academic activities.A delegation submitted a memorandum to deputy municipal commissioner Anupam Shukla, warning that the teachers’ association would intensify its agitation if the problem was not resolved soon.The protest added pressure on civic authorities struggling with the city’s drainage network after intense monsoon spells. Civic teams had earlier broken open portions of covered drains at several places to release trapped water, while 43 pumps with a combined capacity of 132.50 MLD were deployed for drainage. The administration has also decided to review the drainage network and identify locations requiring new drains after the water recedes.Meanwhile, residents of Rambagh locality also protested over prolonged waterlogging, demanding immediate drainage of stagnant water and corrective action.With the college campus still waterlogged, students and teachers said they would intensify their protest if authorities failed to provide a permanent solution instead of relying on temporary pumping.
