Bhopal ( Madhya Pradesh): Road repair work by the Bhopal Municipal Corporation (BMC) and the Public Works Department (PWD) near the Jyoti Talkies complex led to flooding in the basement of the building on Wednesday morning, damaging electronic goods worth Rs5 lakh in 25 shops and triggering protests by traders.
A portion of the busy road near Jyoti Talkies had collapsed in July 2025 after heavy rains weakened the soil above a drain. Repair work is currently underway and a road diversion has been implemented by the city traffic police.
The basement was filled with water before the market opened, causing losses to shopkeepers. The Jyoti Talkies complex houses one of the largest mobile markets in the MP Nagar area, with several shops dealing in mobile phones and electronic gadgets.
Shopkeepers alleged that proper arrangements were not made during the road construction work and that the absence of a drainage system allowed dirty water to accumulate in the basement. Many traders said their stored goods were damaged due to the sudden flooding.
Angry traders shut their shops and staged a protest at the Jyoti Talkies intersection, demanding immediate removal of water from the basement and proper arrangements during the ongoing road construction to prevent such incidents in the future.
During the protest, traders blocked roads in the MP Nagar area for several hours, leading to traffic congestion and inconvenience for commuters.
ACP Meenal Jain said the flooding occurred after a sewage line was accidentally damaged during drain repair work by civic authorities, leading to water-logging in the basement market.
Jain added that a BMC team reached the spot and used motors to pump out the water. After officials intervened and assured action, the protesting shopkeepers ended their demonstration.
