Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): After a news report published in Free Press on July 10, the temporary drain near Ganesh Mandir alongside the railway track at Rani Kamlapati station was diverted to run parallel to tracks instead of directly into them.
The drain was hastily constructed by Public Works Department and Bhopal Municipal Corporation to address severe waterlogging near Ambedkar Flyover and Savarkar Setu following heavy rainfall.
With no proper drainage system in place at the cut-point, road water had accumulated up to 2–3 feet, resulting in a traffic jam over three kilometers long. Initially, officials attempted to revive an old drain near Ganesh Mandir, once connected to Arera Colony and leading towards Rani Kamlapati station, but it failed to relieve the flooding.
As a result, they redirected the water directly to the railway tracks without notifying or seeking approval from the railway department. Railway authorities objected, citing serious concerns over the potential disruption of train operations.
Though BMC officials maintain that the temporary set-up poses no danger, railway engineers insist that such actions, taken without coordination, can lead to significant safety risks. The incident has once again exposed gaps in inter-departmental planning and emergency response.
Senior divisional engineer Krishna Kumar Nigam said, “No permission was taken from railways. If road water continues to flow onto the tracks, it can cause operational hazards.” The railways wrote to the district collector and suggested an alternative route for drainage.
