Leader of Opposition says pre-monsoon requests for drain cleaning and road repairs were ignored, blames civic administration for widespread flooding
Published on: July 05, 2026
By: BTNI
Location: Rajnandgaon, India
Two days of continuous rainfall have brought large parts of Rajnandgaon under water, raising questions over the Municipal Corporation’s pre-monsoon preparedness. According to Leader of Opposition Santosh Pille, several wards have witnessed severe waterlogging, disrupting daily life and exposing what he described as inadequate preventive measures by the civic administration.
Mr. Pille alleged that despite repeated warnings before the onset of the monsoon, the Municipal Corporation failed to undertake essential works such as cleaning drains and repairing damaged roads, resulting in widespread flooding across the city.
He claimed that before the monsoon season began, he had submitted a written representation to the Municipal Commissioner seeking immediate cleaning of drains, improvement of the city’s drainage system and filling of potholes in roads and residential wards. According to him, timely execution of these works could have prevented the current situation.
Mr. Pille further alleged that the Municipal Corporation administration, the Municipal Commissioner, the Mayor and BJP councillors did not take the required steps in advance. As a result, he said, the first spell of heavy monsoon rain had exposed the shortcomings of the civic body’s preparedness.
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He stated that the lack of drain cleaning in several parts of the city had caused rainwater to accumulate on roads and in residential localities. He also alleged that despite expenditure running into crores of rupees, the Canal Nala project had become a victim of corruption, claiming that the situation on the ground remains unchanged.
According to Mr. Pille, waterlogging has been reported in several areas, including Basantpur District Hospital, Indira Nagar, Lakholi, Basantpur, Shantinagar and Motipur. Water accumulation on roads has made pedestrian movement difficult, while rainwater entering lanes and surrounding residential areas has caused inconvenience to local residents.
Residents, he said, have pointed out that similar flooding occurs every monsoon, yet no permanent solution has been implemented. Instead, cleaning and repair works are allegedly initiated only after the rains begin, aggravating the problem.
Mr. Pille has urged the Municipal Corporation to immediately improve drainage, deploy pumps to remove stagnant water from affected areas, carry out intensive drain-cleaning operations and ensure that pre-monsoon preparedness is treated as a priority in the future.
He warned that unless relief measures are initiated without delay, difficulties faced by residents could worsen.
