Malda, 17 July (H.S.) Continuous rainfall over the past few days has left Malda city inundated, exposing the poor drainage infrastructure of the town. Several areas under Englishbazar Municipality have been affected. Heavy waterlogging has disrupted daily life of the local residents.

Many streets across the town have been submerged under knee-deep water. There was significant water logging in parts of Malda Medical College. Frustrated residents took to social media to share images and videos of the waterlogged areas, criticizing the municipality for its failure to address the issue.

The situation quickly turned political, with opposition parties targeting the ruling Trinamool Congress and the Englishbazar Municipality. BJP leader Amlan Bhaduri said, “Over the past few years, the municipality has spent more than ₹3 crore, yet there’s no visible improvement. The drainage system they boasted about has completely failed. The chairman is only good at making excuses. Krishnaendu Narayan Choudhury must take full responsibility for the people’s suffering. Voters will respond to this failure in the upcoming assembly elections.”

Responding to the criticism, Englishbazar Municipality Chairman Krishnaendu Narayan Choudhury said, “The waterlogging was due to unusually heavy and continuous rainfall, but water has drained from most areas by evening. We constructed new drains at a cost of ₹58 lakh, which have prevented a worse situation. The opposition is simply criticizing for the sake of politics. We have already requested additional funds from the state government.”

Tapan Kumar Das, a senior official from the Meteorological Department, informed that Malda recorded 88 mm of rainfall between 8:30 am Tuesday and 5:30 pm Wednesday. He added that light to moderate rainfall is expected to continue over the next three days.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Priyanka Pandey