NEW DELHI: Sadar Bazar turned into a mini Venice without the Italian city’s charms on Thursday. Shoppers, business owners and residents had to wade through knee-deep to move forward, some taking recourse to pushcarts to cross the road. There was no electricity supply in the area for around five hours, and business was affected with the billing systems rendered useless by the power failure.
Rakesh Kumar Yadav, president, Federation of Sadar Bazar Traders’ Association, claimed that he and other shopkeepers had apprised the authorities about the possibility of inundation a month ago. “We went with our grievances and letters to all agencies, including Delhi Jal Board and the area MLA. We warned that around 40,000 shopkeepers could likely suffer a loss of Rs 9-10 crore in water damages,” said Yadav. “Several meetings were held, but the outcome has been that the area is under water as it was last year too.”
Yadav enumerated the hassles of flooded roads and said moving around becomes highly difficult, transportation of goods and their unloading are affected and there is the possibility of diseases spreading. He also recalled how a trader lost his life a few years ago after falling into a manhole in the flood. Yadav also said they had suggested the installation of iron netting in stormwater drains to keep out muck and only allow water to flow in, but this hadn’t been fully done.
Sources said that while the disruptions to life and business were primarily caused by waterlogging, there were times when preventive shutdowns had to be considered to ensure safety of the residents. A municipal official said that anticipating such a situation, the power distribution companies were put on high alert. The civic body also had its quick response teams at the ready. The official said that while most problems were rectified, it took a little longer than usual to restore electricity in some areas that were waterlogged.
Area MLA Som Dutt Sharma said, “Every agency involved in this matter has a part to play and it is the job of MCD to clean the drains and prevent flooding of the interior roads. The former mayor resides in this area and suffered waterlogging outside his residence.”
Meanwhile, the MCD commissioner issued directions to all deputy commissioners in the zones to immediately act on complaints. “We have cleared the drains of silt and are extending all possible assistance to mitigating problems related to waterlogging,” claimed an MCD official.
