The Truth About Panchsheel Nagar – Part 6
A midnight inspection, the presence of senior officials, and then—once again—the wait for the survey
Ranchi: Around midnight one night in June 2025, a convoy of VIP vehicles suddenly arrived in Panchsheel Nagar. Local residents were taken aback by the arrival of such a large number of senior officials amidst the silence of the night. Some people stepped out of their homes, trying to understand why the administrative team had arrived at such an odd hour.
Present at the scene were Ranchi Deputy Commissioner Manjunath Bhajantri, Sadar SDO Utkarsh Kumar, Additional District Magistrate (Law and Order) Rajeshwar Nath Alok, Ranchi Municipal Corporation Municipal Commissioner Sushant Gaurav, along with the Deputy Collector, Deputy Municipal Commissioner, Assistant Municipal Commissioner, City SP, and senior officials from the Road Construction and Electricity departments.
According to locals, officials briefed the Deputy Commissioner on the situation regarding waterlogging and encroachments on drains in the area. A team from the Public Relations Department (PRD) was also fully active, documenting the instructions issued by the Deputy Commissioner.
Deputy Commissioner Manjunath Bhajantri walked from the Panchsheel Nagar intersection on the main NH-75 road into the lane—covering a distance of about 100 feet—to assess the actual extent of the waterlogging. He inspected the affected areas and gathered necessary information from the officials.
During this time, an interesting situation came to light. According to locals, Ghanshyam Kumar—the then Circle Officer (CO) of Hehal Circle—did not receive timely information about the Deputy Commissioner's visit to Panchsheel Nagar. By the time he was informed and reached the spot, the Deputy Commissioner and his team had already concluded the inspection and left.
Following the inspection, the district administration shared that the Deputy Commissioner had appealed to the public not to encroach upon rivers, drains, or roads to prevent waterlogging and flood-like situations. Officials were also instructed to exercise special vigilance and maintain regular monitoring in areas prone to waterlogging.
At that time, speculation was rife among the locals that major action against encroachments was imminent. Residents had hoped that action would be taken even against influential individuals and that illegal structures built on the drain's land would be removed, thereby resolving the long-standing issue of waterlogging.
However, locals point out that nearly 11 months have passed since the Deputy Commissioner's inspection. The problems of waterlogging and encroachment persist even now, in June 2026. While residents had expected concrete action following the inspection, when the time for action finally arrived, the Municipal Corporation team simply returned to initiate the land measurement process all over again.
The question now arises: will the residents of Panchsheel Nagar have to wait even longer, or will concrete steps be taken toward a permanent solution for the encroachment and waterlogging issues?
In the next part...
Where is the 62-foot-wide vacant drain land in Panchsheel Nagar?
Stay tuned — "The Truth About Panchsheel Nagar"
— Reporting: Manoj Mishra
