Raipur: Residents of Rajiv Nagar in Mahoba Bazar are grappling with severe monsoon waterlogging and flooded streets after an influential local builder allegedly encroached upon and filled a major civic drain. The crisis has also exposed a glaring lack of coordination between city departments.
Lack of Records and Coordination
The Raipur Municipal Corporation (RMC) has admitted it possesses no maps or official records of its own drainage network in the area. Meanwhile, the local revenue department has stalled any potential resolution by withholding the official land demarcation report. According to officials, Patwari Neeru Srivastava conducted a physical inspection of the site but is yet to submit the paperwork required to legally establish the encroachment.
Mayor's Intervention
This inter-departmental apathy came to light recently when mayor Meenal Choubey inspected the waterlogged neighborhood. Confronted by angry locals who pointed out that more than half the drain was missing on the ground, the mayor publicly reprimanded civic and revenue officials. In an official statement, she questioned how the city’s drainage system could be fixed without basic infrastructure records and demanded immediate high-level intervention.
“Our main priority right now is to take care of the drain and resolve the waterlogging as soon as possible,” mayor Choubey told TOI, stopping short of specifying any immediate punitive action against the builder.
Residents Left to Navigate Flooded Streets
Until the revenue department submits the delayed demarcation report, the RMC claims its hands are tied, leaving the residents of Rajiv Nagar to navigate flooded streets. The situation highlights the urgent need for better inter-departmental coordination and record-keeping to prevent such crises in the future.
