Drains at Kafla Fandi area in Cuttack. Picture by Badrika Nath Das

Cuttack, April 20: Access to basic civic amenities still remains a distant dream for most of the residents of Kafla Fandi.

Though the civic authorities claim that efforts have been put to improve the living conditions, most of the residents are reeling from the civic neglect.

Local councillor Khirod Behera said that adequate steps were being taken to maintain sanitation in the area. There were problems in carrying out developmental works at many places owing to fund crunch, said Behera.

“We are trying our best to improve the living conditions at respective areas despite fund crunch. Moreover, the Kafla Fandi area has been included under the ward a few months ago,” said Behera.

“Repair and construction work of the drains are likely to begin shortly as the tender process has already been completed. We hope that the drainage related issues would be subsequently solved. Moreover, things are likely to improve further after introduction of the much-awaited mechanised sweeping that is expected to begin shortly in the city,” the councillor said.

Residents of the Kafla Fandi area have been facing many civic problems for the past few months. No step has been taken so far to improve the defunct drainage channels.

“The drains here are in bad shape. These cannot properly discharge wastewater from the area. However, no step has been taken to repair the drains,” said Amin Khan (48), a local resident.

Though the major drains are cleaned at least twice a year, no step is taken to clean up the sub-drains that carry out wastewater from respective areas in the city. Similarly, no step was taken to remove silt from these drains, Khan said.

“Situation remains the same here for the past few years. Though we have apprised the concerned civic officials of the issue, yet no step has so far been taken to solve the problem,” said Raju Naik (29), another local resident.

“The drains are overflowing and the wastewater is entering our homes. Moreover, such an unhygienic condition along with stagnant water has led to rise in mosquito population in the area,” Naik said.

Apart from drainage, the overall sanitation measures are also in a shambles. Though there is an identified dumping zone, no step is taken to ensure daily removal of garbage from the locality.