EVEN AFTER 16 YEARS, THE AMC FAILED TO MAKE METALED ROADS

Ara, 26 July 2023, (RNI): Even after more than 16 years, Ara, the headquarter of Bhojpur district got the status of Municipal Corporation (AMC), many drains of the town have not been made concrete so far. The residents of the town face a lot of problems as the water is not getting out of the house through unconstructed drains and the people feel like living in the village despite paying heavy municipal tax. The residents of the AMC are given sop in the name of convenience.

After the Ara was given a status of Municipal Corporations, people of the area were hopeful that they would get better facilities and the town would be neat and clean and all the drains of the town would be made of concrete but they were tantalized as the situation became worse. Filth and garbage are seen scattered all around and drain water liters on almost all the roads of the town. Earlier, when the Ara was municipality, the people had to pay less and get better facilities. The Ara Municipality regularly used to get the roads, lanes and bylanes cleaned and washed daily. Municipality doctor visited the houses at regular intervals for vaccination. Street light were on and ward commissioners of every wards took care of people of their wards but after becoming the Ara Municipal Corporation, people deprived of all facilities and have to pay heavy tax. Even tax collectors are very much reluctant to visit the wards to collect taxes on time. During COVID-19 the Prime Minister boasted that he had got maximum number of people vaccinated in the world though it was routine work in previous years when the Ara was municipality.

It may be mentioned here that during English period, nine pacca drains were made which still exist and they were so interlinked that if water pushed from one side of the drain, it came out of other side after cleaning all the nine drains. Further these drains are in fact canal and their water is used in watering field and even the people drank it. But today, these drains are encroached upon by the people and the district administration itself. The AMC is making drains with inferior quality materials over these drains.

These days, the drains are never cleaned. The main outfall drain near Bind Toli and grocery market is jammed for years and is never cleaned. Silt is dumped to the brim and no one bother to de-silt it casing the drain water not to flow. Though lakhs of rupees are spent in the name of cleaning drains but it remained an eyewash. Sometimes, silt was taken out of the drains that too during raining season and piled on the edge of drains making the road dirty and people feel un-comfort to communicate the roads.

The drain water from Chandwa Mor is flushed out into the river on the west side but the drains on the west side is full of garbage and it is never cleaned. About 60 percent of drains in the Ara town are made concrete but 40 percent drains are still unmetalled and in dilapidated condition. These drains are always in a state of jam and in such a situation, it is difficult to get water out of the houses.

The condition of town drains is pathetic. Most of drains are still unmetalled and particularly in the newly set up colonies while the AMC charges prescribed taxes from them but drainage has become a major problem for the people of these colonies due to lack of concrete drains. The working of the elected representatives and officers of the AMC can be gauged from this. Even after so many years of planning and spending of crore of rupees, the drains are still unmetalled and in this situation it is meaningless to talk about other development.

The drains have not been metaled even at important places like Chandawa Mor. Because of this, the drains get jammed again and again. Water spread on the roads at this intersection due to the blockage of drain. So it is very difficult to get communicate on one hand while on other hand, the roads get rough.

The shopkeepers in the area dump garbage in the drains in the areas including Awadhpuri from Chandawa Mor blocking the road again and again but the AMC does not take any action against the shopkeepers. This reporter had raised the issue once before the Bhojpur District Magistrate citing example of Nasik in Maharashtra but even the DM did not pay any heed.

Besides, the drain was made metaled from Chandawa Mor towards east of Awadhpuri colony while the drain towards west side was metaled. Again cemented pipes instead of RCC drain have been installed at such an important intersection. People of area said that the officials and the Ward Councilors of the AMC work in whim and also to make money.