B’day bash in drain, Agra BJP corporator’s unusual protest against civic inaction

Agra: In an unusual protest against Agra Municipal Corporation’s (AMC) failure to maintain local infrastructure, local BJP corporator Kishan Nayak celebrated his birthday on Thursday evening by standing knee-deep in a filthy drain.The demonstration took place near the Hanuman temple at Langde Ki Chowki in Nagla Harmukh. Accompanied by supporters holding a banner that read “Hanuman Ji Kalyan Karein,” Nayak cut a birthday cake in the sludge to spotlight years of official apathy.“Residents of my ward celebrate birthdays, weddings, and festivals amid waterlogging and filth. If the public is forced to live like this, how can I celebrate my birthday in an air-conditioned room? Nayak said.Nayak claimed he had submitted over 30 representations to the mayor and municipal commissioner over the last three years, but no action has been taken. He highlighted the severe safety risks of the neglected site, alleging that the hazardous conditions have already claimed lives, with two children and a farmer dying after falling into the drain, and another child reportedly missing.The drain—which runs from Sultan Ganj Pulia through Langde Ki Chowki to Jeevani Mandi Road before emptying into the Yamuna river—was originally a historic royal canal.

Nayak said it was last physically cleaned in 2011, alleging that all subsequent maintenance has existed strictly “on paper.”Despite repeatedly escalating the issue to mayor Hemlata Diwakar, the municipal commissioner, and health officer Sanjeev Verma, the site remains untouched. Local residents who joined the birthday protest warned of intensified agitations at the municipal corporation office if AMC fails to clean and reconstruct the drain immediately.