Bhubaneswar, June 25: The BMC Commissioner Rajesh Pravakar Patil has Tuesday said that the open drains in the Captal City will be covered with drain slabs within a month.

"Concrete slabs will be laid over the drains within a month. The barricade works for the drains will be completed in a week," said Patil.

Notably, Bhubaneswar has a total of 1,800 km of drains, while 1,380 km drains, including 27 km of open drains, are under BMC. 

"All the open drains have been identified. The slab works will be completed on emergency basis. Drains at some places are illegally encroached," said Patil.

"Steps are being taken to remove the encroachments after a meeting with various concerned departments," he asserted.

The BMC Commissioner also said that 34 places have been identified for barricade work, which will be completed within a week.

Open drains are quite concerning for the citizens of the Capital City as an 8-year-old boy lost his life just a week ago. SK Rajesh was swept away in an open drain after heavy rains in Bhubaneswar, June 18.

According to the reports, Rajesh slipped into an open drain, which was flooded due to heavy rain. After being rescued, the minor boy was immediately taken to the Capital Hospital, where the doctors declared him dead.

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