A choked drain at Kazi Bazar in Cuttack. Picture by Badrika Nath Das

Cuttack, April 15: Residents of the Silver City are in for trying times as authorities of the Cuttack Municipal Corporation (CMC) have failed to take adequate measures to improve civic facilities.

Basic civic amenities including better roads, drinking water and sanitation still remain a distant dream for most of the residents of the city.

Similarly, residents of Kazi Bazar, which falls in wards 10 and 11 of CMC, are also reeling from neglect.

“It seems that the authorities have turned a blind eye to our problems as no step is being taken for the development of the locality,” said Devi Prasad Chakrobarty (54), a local resident.

In this area, drainage is one of the major problems for most residents. They alleged that no step had been taken to repair and maintain the drainage channels that had become obsolete.

Moreover, there was lack of measures to repair damaged drains and culverts. These are creating problems for the free flow of wastewater generated from nearby localities.

“Most of the drains here are clogged and have become breeding ground for mosquitoes. My daughter was recently afflicted with malaria and it is really surprising that no step is being taken to clean drains on a regular basis,” Chakrobarty added.

Local residents said that the city’s sanitation situation was also in a shambles as no steps were taken for regular removal of solid waste generated from the locality.

“One can find heaps of garbage dumped near Bhaktamadhu Bidyapitha and other areas. This is creating both environmental and other health hazards. Moreover, the civic authorities are spending crores on solid waste management but they should come up with a mechanism for daily collection of garbage,” said Krishna Sahoo (35), a local resident.

On the other hand, despite several attempts, local councillors of ward No. 10 Seshdev Nanda and ward No. 11 Hemant Behera could not be contacted. Civic officials, however, informed that adequate steps were being taken to maintain all round sanitation in the area.

“Garbage generated from the locality is collected and later disposed of on a daily basis. Moreover, things are likely to improve after the mechanised sweeping process, which includes solid waste management, is introduced in some wards in the city,” said an official.

The work for removal of silt had begun in many areas and would start in other places soon. The work would be completed before the arrival of monsoon, the official said.