Policemen on Wednesday almost threw up as they directed traffic amid unbearable stink and splashes of sewer water on the road near Sujata Chowk, barely 100 metres away from an upscale hotel where top officials of the Election Commission of India were meeting political parties and government officials on Assembly poll preparations.

The irony of Swachh Bharat campaign could be seen on Sujata Chowk, located on Ranchi Main Road and considered the heart of the state capital.

Yet for the last 10 days, shopkeepers and commuters are bearing the brunt of stinking, dirty water on the road.

One of the oldest sewerage and drainage lines on Ranchi Main Road, this section got choked years back. As Ranchi Municipal Corporation (RMC) never cleaned it, dirty water often spills into the road.

Last year, the problem reached the CM’s Jan Samvad when a local tailor, Md Shakil, complained that dirty water made their lives unbearable. Though the RMC is the civic guardian for the drain, the problem was routed to the road construction department.

The road construction department officials discovered the narrow gauge drain completely choked.

Suresh Prasad Gupta, a junior engineer of road construction department supervising the cleaning and construction work, said the problem would be solved in a couple of days.

“This narrow section line was never cleaned. It’s a mess. Now, we are extending the line towards Gossner College. Construction is on. We regularly pump out water to stop spillage on road. But the RMC hasn’t extended much help. After much persuasion, they sent the tanker to pump out water,” Gupta said.

RMC health officer Kiran Kumari said that on Wednesday morning the civic body did press a suction pump to remove dirty water from the spot. “We have deputed safai workers to stop spillage. The contractor started the construction work in such an unplanned manner that its difficult to stop spillage,” she said.

As the blame game goes on, so does the misery for traders there. Ajay Sakuja, the owner of an auto agency, said Sujata Chowk was one of the main intersections on Ranchi Main Road that connects Hinoo, the railway station, Kutchery Chowk, Pepee Compound and other landmarks. “This intersection sees a huge volume of traffic. It is one of the city’s main commercial hubs. But the situation here is so bad that the stink at my shop that’s barely 50 metres from the chowk is so bad that we can hardly breathe,” Sakuja said.

Shakil, who had complained to the CM’s forum, added: “The smell and dirt have affected my business badly, to the tune of Rs 2 lakh in losses. Why will customers come to a place that’s so dirty?”

Ganesh Modak, who runs a small restaurant, said he was forced to shut shop for five days running. “Customers were gagging, not eating. This is the real picture of Swachh Bharat Abhiyan in Ranchi. I don’t know that how RMC gets awards for cleaning up Ranchi and how the Swachh Bharat survey is done,” he said.