Its raining havoc at Cantonment

BANGALORE: The Cantonment Railway Station witnesses hundreds of people passing through its gateways everyday. Some lugging their luggage, some saying goodbyes and the rest just glad to see their closed ones back home.What one doesn’t visualise is an overflowing drain with unbearable stench worsened by the heavy downpour that the city has been ‘blessed’ with recently. But the drain under the Jayamahal underpass, in close proximity to Cantonment, is treating the visitors to exactly that.The installation of underground pipes undertaken by the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) doesn’t seem to help the cause in any way as a recurring drain hassle in this part of the city manages to frustrate commuters every single time. City Express had published a report on the issue praising the commitment of the authorities in dealing with the issue. But praises seem to be taken into the head seriously by the authorities as a repeat of the same situation has put commuters in severe misery.A motorist on the road, Sukumar, remarked, “I use the road on a routine basis to reach my office on MG Road. When the BWSSB took quick action the previous time, and instated pipes, I was happy with the response by the authorities.But now the problem has returned, in full force, causing major inconvenience.” While the overflowing drain itself was a serious concern, what worsened matters multifold was the evening rains. The offensive odour left people wishing they had chosen any other road on Bangalore to travel in other than Station Road.The overflow surged onto the road leaving the pedestrians in a lurch.A pedestrian on the road, Gautam, drenched due to the splashing, asserted, “I am so annoyed at myself for choosing this road to travel. A white shirt that I was wearing in the morning has turned brown. The stink further adds to the mess already created.” This stretch of the Jayamahal Road, being a low-lying one, experienced a mini flood.Pools of water left both pedestrians and motorists unable to gauge the actual depth of the road.Satish, the executive engineer (central zone) for the BWSSB, asserted, “This is due to the heavy rainfall that Bangalore has been experiencing for the past week. The overflow is mainly from Nandidurga Road.Manholes were cleared leading to water logging here. I have spoken to the officials responsible for the other areas too. I will ensure that my men are there as soon as possible to ensure that the problem is sorted out at the earliest.”