Tura, June 18: The heavy downpour for the last few days has brought great difficulties along with challenges to the administration as well as the people of West Garo Hills District in Meghalaya. With landslides, floods, power lines snapping, trees uprooting, the citizens are battered with multiple issues in the town of Tura, especially since the Cyclone Remal.

However, there is an artificial flood situation in Daldagre Bazar, situated just 2-3 kms from New Tura. The area has about 30 shops and renowned schools located within 100 meters along with LPG Godown and a newly constructed vehicle showroom.

The heavy downpour on Saturday and on Tuesday morning has flooded many areas in Tura, mostly affecting low lying areas. At Daldagre Bazar, around 17 shops are partially submerged in flood waters; making it difficult for the shop owners to open, retrieve or remove damaged goods or operate their businesses.

Hub News team, upon getting the information, reached the location to understand more and talk to the locals. While interacting with the shop owners, they mentioned that this type of situation was not there until 2022 monsoon. The flooding started from 2023 and this year also they have faced the same.

Locals said that in the year 2022-23 the vehicle showroom near the bazar was built and during the construction the hume pipe, which drained all the excess water during the rainy seasons, was apparently blocked, hence, creating an artificial flood.

Speaking to Hub News, one of the lady shop owners said, “We are poor people, we have only one shop and since Saturday we are unable to open the vegetable shop due to the flooding. All my goods are perishable and most of my goods are rotten due to water. It will take weeks to clean the shop and restore business.”

Another Lady said, “2 big schools are nearby and it’s a difficult situation for the student and the parents to walk the road and footpath due to dirty, unhygienic water.”

While Hub News was covering the story, a team from PWD Dept was cleaning the nearby drain with shovels and spade.

When enquired if they have taken up the issue with any public representatives or district administration, they replied, “Officials from District administration did come and checked last year as well as this year… Last year, we all went and told the Local MDC Rimpu Marak, he visited the location once and then nothing happened; it’s still the same like last year, no action taken.”

With the IMD predicting more heavy thunderstorms and rainfall in the coming days, the issue is set to worsen, forcing the shop owners to watch their partially submerged shops haplessly.

The question also arises as to how the hume pipe, which was used to discharge excess water of the bazar area, was blocked during construction and how the building NOC was given prior to the construction.

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