Raiganj: Water logging sparks protest, residents block roads

RAIGANJ: Protesting against severe water logging following two days of incessant rainfall, residents of Debinagar, Ward No. 26 of Raiganj municipality, took to the streets on Thursday. The aggrieved locals blocked Debinagar Bazar Road for several hours, demanding the introduction of a scientific drainage system. The residents voiced their frustration over the municipality’s inaction, claiming that the drainage system in the area has been dysfunctional for an extended period.

The continuous overflow from choked drains has caused water to accumulate on roads and inside homes, creating significant hardships. According to Banani Sarkar, a housewife from the area, the problem has been exacerbated by the fact that roads are lower than the drains.

“Since Thursday morning, we’ve been wading through knee-deep water both on the streets and inside our homes. This has been an ongoing issue for months. The stagnating water emits a foul odor and has become a breeding ground for mosquitoes. We are worried about the spread of diseases,” she said.

The situation has also caused significant disruption to daily business activities at Debinagar Bazar. Dipankar Pramanik, the secretary of Debinagar Bazar Samity, highlighted that both sellers and buyers are affected as waterlogged roads make navigating the market difficult.

“Polluted drain water from the market is spreading into nearby residential areas. Despite our prior appeals to the municipality’s chairperson, no concrete action has been taken,” Pramanik added.

In a bid to express their frustration, residents blocked the local road on Thursday, halting traffic for hours. Responding to the protest, Sandip Biswas, chairperson of the board of administrators of Raiganj municipality, acknowledged the heavy rainfall over the last two days.

“Our laborers are working on clearing the drains, and we are considering an improvement of the drainage system in the locality,” Biswas stated.