Angry with waterlogging & piling of garbage, people gherao Sushil Modi's house

Sushil Kumar Modi's residence in Patna was gheraoed by a group of people on Sunday who was protesting against issues of waterlogging and accumulation of trash in some areas of the city. They were also seeking compensation for the damage done to their properties in three days of incessant rain.

Patna: Irked over the problems of waterlogging and accumulation of trash in some areas of the city, a group of people on Sunday gheraoed Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi's residence here.

The state capital was pounded by heavy rain late last month leading to waterlogging in areas such as Rajendra Nagar, Kankar Bagh and Pataliputra Colony. Even after a fortnight, water has not fully receded in some low-lying localities and garbage has not been cleared in some pockets.

"Around 50-60 people took out a march to Sushil Modi's house (in Rajendra Nagar area) and returned after some time," City Superintendent of Police (Central) Vinay Tiwari told a news agency.

On September 30, Modi and his family members were rescued by an SDRF team from his flooded residence in Rajendra Nagar. However, they returned later to the house.

The BJP leader, however, was not present during the protest, official sources said adding that security has been beefed up at Modi's residence. Modi could not be contacted for his comment despite several attempts.

Angry people, carrying placards, shouted anti-Modi slogans and demanded action against officials who failed to flush out water fully in Rajendra Nagar area, making their lives difficult. "He (Modi) left us in the lurch and fled to a safe place," one of the protesters said.

A heap of garbage has piled up in the area and it has become quite difficult to live, another protester said. Another demanded an enquiry by Enforcement Directorate and CBI into the assets of all local BJP MLAs and ward councillors.

They were also seeking compensation for the damage done to their properties in three days of incessant rain.

After demonstrating there for around half-an-hour, they reached the Patna Municipal Corporation office and protested there. The state capital was pounded by 342.5 millimetres of rainfall between September 27 and 30, as against the state average of 255 millimetres.

Another group of people also blocked Bailey Road near Saguna More and burnt tyres to protest against the continued waterlogging in some areas.

They also shouted anti-government slogans. "Local people had blocked Bailey road near Saguna More at around 8 am for around half-an-hour. We got the blockade lifted after pacifying them," a police officer said.