PRAYAGRAJ, Sept. 12 -- A discussion on construction of drains in waterlogging-prone areas triggered a ruckus during the Prayagraj Municipal Corporation (PMC) House meeting on Friday after councillors found that several wards and localities were missing from the list of affected areas. Councillors from the omitted areas questioned officials and the manner in which the list had been prepared. The protest escalated as several councillors reached the mayor's chair amid loud exchanges. Irritated by the continued commotion, mayor Umesh Chandra Ganesh Kesarwani left the meeting midway. The House was subsequently adjourned for an hour for lunch. During the discussion on the proposed list of drains, councillor Ashish Dwivedi objected that his area had not been included. Akhilesh Kumar Singh, Deepak Kushwaha and several other councillors then stood up and highlighted waterlogging problems in their respective areas. The councillors questioned why their wards had been left out of the drain construction list when they faced waterlogging during almost every spell of rain. When the meeting resumed after lunch, the mayor said a list of 35 drains proposed in different localities had been received. He clarified that omission of a locality or ward from the list did not mean it had been ignored. Kesarwani assured the councillors that the names of areas left out would be added within a week and proposals for drain construction would be prepared. He also directed the two executive engineers to ensure that waterlogging-prone drains in the city's expanded areas were included while preparing the revised list. After the meeting, the mayor said a drain had been identified in George Town and the waterlogging problem in Chaukhandi had been resolved. Work was also being undertaken to address the problem in Bengali Tola and Bai Ka Bagh, he said. Waterlogging in 23 wards discussed The House discussed waterlogging problems in 23 wards. Councillors were asked to submit reports on the drainage situation in the expanded areas. Waterlogging issues were reported from Jahangirabad, Naini and several other localities. Councillors said encroachment was a major hurdle in the drainage system and demanded both cleaning of existing drains and construction of new ones. 'Remove encroachments or face action' The mayor warned people who had encroached upon drains to remove the structures themselves or face action by the municipal corporation. "People should remove encroachments themselves or the municipal corporation will remove them," Kesarwani said, adding that action would begin soon. He said encroachments were among the major causes of waterlogging in the city. Over 100 development proposals prepared The House was informed that more than 100 proposals related to civic development had been prepared. Officials were directed to provide copies of the proposals to all councillors. Councillors were also asked to submit their suggestions and problems in writing to the additional city magistrate (ACM) and chief engineer. Officials have been asked to prepare a comprehensive proposal within a week. The civic body plans to convene another House meeting within 10 to 15 days, approve the proposals and subsequently send them to the state government. While the municipal corporation will undertake works using its own resources, it will seek government assistance for additional works....