More than a week after a major water contamination incident alarmed residents of Bhagirathpura in Indore, significant sanitation problems continue to plague several parts of the locality. Despite increased cleaning activity, overflowing drains, garbage-clogged narrow lanes, and a persistent foul odour remain a troubling reality for many.
Uneven Cleanup Efforts Leave Interior Lanes Neglected
While teams from the civic body have been deployed with cleaning chemicals, acids, and equipment to clear drains and wash streets, residents report that the efforts are highly uneven. The focus appears to be on main roads, leaving many interior residential stretches neglected. Locals have surrounded visiting officials, urging them to address the long-pending sanitation issues in the narrower bylanes.
Manish Bhadkare, a general insurance agent and resident, highlighted a critical concern. "I have been requesting teams to check the leakage in the drinking water pipeline from day one, but nothing has happened yet," he said. He alleged that overflowing drainage water is seeping into the underground drinking water pipelines, posing a continuous health risk.
Residents Voice Frustration Over Stagnant Waste and Inaction
The situation in the interior lanes tells a story of neglect. Residents say that while garbage is cleared from the main roads, many smaller lanes remain dirty and stinking. The visual and olfactory evidence of the problem is stark, with stagnant waste and overflowing drains creating an unhygienic environment.
Priyanshu Suryanshi, a 17-year-old student who spent a week in a private hospital and is now recovering, pointed to the lane behind his house. He said it remains neglected despite repeated complaints. "This lane used to be clean. We celebrated festivals here. Then drainage started overflowing and garbage dumping followed, making it foul-smelling," he recounted, expressing the community's disappointment.
A Call for Sustained Action to Restore Confidence
The incident has severely shaken the community's confidence in local infrastructure and civic response. Residents argue that a one-time cleanup drive is insufficient. They are calling for a systematic and sustained approach to sanitation and drainage management to prevent a recurrence of such a health scare.
The persistent issues underscore a gap between short-term corrective measures and long-term infrastructural solutions. For the people of Bhagirathpura, the path to normalcy requires consistent, thorough, and equitable attention from the civic authorities to ensure a clean and safe living environment.
