WATERLOGGED ROADS LEAVE CHILDREN CONFLICTED

WATERLOGGED ROADS LEAVE CHILDREN CONFLICTED

12-JUNE-ENG 6

RAJIV NAYAN AGRAWAL

ARA------------------------A severe waterlogging situation has arisen on the Banahi road near Thana Mor in the Shahpur Nagar Panchayat area. Children are left wondering: should they proceed to school or return home? This critical waterlogging has created immense difficulties for passersby, especially school children. Parents are torn between sending their children through this submerged road or calling them back home for fear of accidents. The situation is such that even a light rain transforms this road near Thana Mor into a virtual pond.

This state of affairs persists despite the municipal administration allocating crores of rupees annually for road cleaning and drainage. The question arises: had the vast sums spent on sanitation been utilized effectively, this deplorable situation would not exist today. Public funds are being shown as spent on paper, while conditions on the ground continue to deteriorate.

Public resentment is further fueled by the fact that responsible officials and staff from the Nagar Panchayat visit the site merely as a formality, without offering any actual solutions. These visits by officials have now become a subject of discussion and ridicule among local residents.

The compromise of children's fundamental rights—specifically their right to education and safe passage—reflects the gross negligence of the municipal administration. Will the administration wait until a major accident occurs? A permanent solution to this waterlogging problem has become imperative. Strengthening the sanitation agency's operations and establishing an efficient drainage system is the need of the hour.

Former Chairman Bijay Kumar Singh and former Vice-Chairman Gupteshwar Sah have demanded that the municipal administration acknowledge its responsibility and provide an immediate solution to this issue. The public does not merely expect superficial visits; they want to see concrete action that ensures smooth and safe travel on the constructed road. Playing with the health and safety of citizens must stop now.