10 days after devouring Pupun, killer drain still open in Nayapalli

Odisha Sun Times Bureau
Bhubaneswar, Sep 3:

Ten days after devouring 11-year-old Pupun, the drain near Nayapalli’s Mumtaz Ali School in Odisha’s capital city still remains open.

No steps have been taken till date to cover the gaping hole in the drain, even though it lies just front of the new Nayapalli cremation ground which was inaugurated recently by Urban development minister Pushpendra Singh Deo.

Pupun fell into the overflowing open drain after an hour-long shower and was swept away by the strong curent only to be found dead minutes after. Enraged locals, along with the aggrieved family members, had blocked the road in the city disrupting traffic for several hours after the unfortunate incident.

The locals are upset by the grossly callous attitude of the administration, which has ignored a potential deathtrap while spending money on the inauguration ceremony on Monday.

“We have been demanding the repair of the killer open drain for a long time but to no avail,” said Milan Paikray, a local resident. “We have three corporators but still no one is showing any urgency in covering the drain,” he added.

The inauguration of the Nayapalli cremation ground was attended by Panchayatiraj minister Arun Sahu, MP Prasanna Patsani, Bhubaneswar MLAs Bijoy Mohantyand Priyadarshi Mishra and Mayor Ananta Narayan Jena among others.