BJP Corporator Protests in Filthy Agra Drain on Birthday

AGRA: In an unusual protest against the Agra Municipal Corporation's alleged neglect of drainage works, BJP corporator Kishan Nayak celebrated his birthday by standing knee-deep in a filthy drain and cutting a cake on Thursday evening. The protest was held near Hanuman Temple at Langde Ki Chowki in Nagla Harmukh, where Nayak, accompanied by supporters carrying a banner reading "Hanuman Ji Kalyan Karein", used the symbolic gesture to highlight what he called years of official inaction. Nayak alleged that despite submitting more than 30 representations to the mayor and municipal commissioner over the past three years, the drain has neither been reconstructed nor properly cleaned. He claimed that two children and a farmer had died after falling into the drain, while another child went missing. "People in my ward celebrate birthdays, weddings and festivals amid filth and waterlogging. If residents are forced to live like this, how can I celebrate my birthday in an air-conditioned room?" Nayak said. He said the drain stretches from Sultan Ganj Pulia through Langde Ki Chowki to Jeevani Mandi Road before merging with the Yamuna. Once a royal canal, it has now turned into a neglected drain, he added. The corporator further alleged that the drain was last physically cleaned in 2011, with subsequent clean-up efforts existing only "on paper". He said repeated complaints to Mayor Hemlata Diwakar, the municipal commissioner and health officer Sanjeev Verma had failed to elicit any action. The protest drew attention as the BJP has controlled the Agra Municipal Corporation for around 35 years. Local residents who joined the demonstration warned of intensifying their agitation if the drain is not cleaned and reconstructed, saying they would protest outside the municipal corporation office and hold officials accountable.