Patliputra colony

As the suspension of work by A2Z Infrastructure Private Limited entered the eighth day on Wednesday, garbage heaps across Patna continued their (un)healthy growth, as there was hardly anyone to cart them away. An unbearable stench wafted in the air, even in upscale areas of the city, where the garbage has not been cleared for days (see pictures by Deepak Kumar). The civic body, too, has failed to make any alternative arrangement for rubbish removal. A2Z Infrastructure Private Limited suspended its services on July 21, as Patna Municipal Corporation failed to clear its outstanding bills. The committee appointed to verify the bills has pointed out a number of anomalies in them. In fact, the contract signed between the civic body and the private company, too, has come under the scanner. With stalemate over the payment far from over, you and I will have to bear with the nauseating stench of garbage.