Dumped garbage and (below) choked drain at Jobra. Pictures by Badrika Nath Das

Cuttack, April 4: Like residents of many areas of the Millennium City, access to civic amenities still remains a distant dream for the people of Jobra.

The residents of Jobra are struggling to keep up pace with rising population and lack of adequate measures on part of civic authorities to upgrade the existing civic infrastructure such as roads, drainage and drinking water facilities.

According to the residents, the Cuttack Municipal Corporation (CMC) has not undertaken any major developmental works to improve the living conditions of the residents of the Jobra area, located in the heart of the city.

“No step has been taken to maintain sanitation in the area. One can find heaps of garbage dumped along the roadsides which takes days together to get cleaned up,” said Iliyas Sami (36), local resident.

The road from College Square to Malgodown police station, which is one of the busiest roads in the city, is in a very bad shape. No step has been taken so far for its repair either.

“Though the Jobra Road acts as a connecting link between Choudwar and Jagatpur areas, no step has been taken for its maintenance, which is causing lots of trouble for commuters like us,” said Dilip Swain, a commuter.

Similar is the condition of drains, which are on the verge of collapse at many points. Moreover, the existing drainage channels are unable to carry the load of wastewater generated from the localities as most of the drains are clogged.

Apart from this, access to better drinking water facilities still eludes the residents of Jobra.

“For the past few years, we have been facing acute scarcity of drinking water. Though we have brought the matter to the notice of civic authorities, no step has been taken to solve our grievance so far,” said Bikram Mohanty (38), a resident of Samadhi Patna.

On the other hand, local councillor Sriram Pandey said that steps are being taken to maintain sanitation in the ward.

“Work for desiltation has also begun in many areas and the work is expected to be completed soon,” Pandey said.

Moreover, civic officials said that the work for the repair of roads and drains are expected to begin soon.

There is a proposal to install an additional motor pump near Bayababa Math which will solve the drinking water problem of residents of Jobra, said civic officials.