Cuttack, Aug. 7: The Congress has called a dawn-to-dusk strike on August 12 to protest against the alleged failure of the civic body in providing basic amenities to residents of the city.
Accusing the state government of neglect, the Congress today demanded the immediate dissolution of the civic body for its failure in developing the city.
The Congress claimed that the corporation had not taken any steps to recover Rs 9 crore from advertisement firms after the expiry of its agreement with Dream Team Shahara, which was awarded sole hoarding rights in 2011.
"The civic officials have failed to generate revenue, which is essential in carrying out a city's development. The state government should immediately transfer the municipal commissioner and appoint an IAS officer for better administrative management," said Congress leader Suresh Mohapatra.
Sources said the Congress had reworked its strategy and decided to corner the state government over poor infrastructure and development in Cuttack after the municipal corporation council meeting in which Congress councillors were allegedly assaulted by their BJD counterparts on July 29.
"It is unfortunate the government has not taken any concrete step for the city's development and it is reeling from neglect. The civic body has failed to improve sanitation, roads and other basic civic amenities," said Cuttack Nagar Congress Committee president Mohammad Moquim.
Moquim alleged that the civic body's lack of pre-monsoon preparedness was behind the serious proportions that dengue had assumed this year.
The city has already reported more than 860 cases of dengue. On an average, 20 to 30 new dengue cases are being reported daily, Moaquim said.
He also demanded the immediate dissolution of the municipal corporation council.
"From the ration card controversy, embezzlement of kalyan mandap funds to the outbreak of jaundice and dengue, the corporation has failed on all fronts," he said.
Moaquim also alleged that the BJD's elected representatives had embezzled taxpayer money by giving undue favours to officials of the integrated sanitation project under the Japan International Co-operation Agency (Jica) and Ramky, the private enterprise that was earlier in charge of the city's solid waste management.
The Congress claimed that despite concrete evidence regarding the involvement of gangster duo Sushant and Sushil Dhal Samant in fixing tenders for Ramky, officials of the Cuttack Municipal Corporation extended its agreement after it ended in April.
BJD leaders, however, accused the Congress of politicising issues at a time when several development projects were under way in the city.
"Drainage and sewerage-related problems will be resolved once the Jica project, which is worth Rs 4,000 crore, is completed. Naturally, people will face problems due to massive construction being undertaken, but things will gradually improve," said Barabati-Cuttack MLA Debasish Samantray.
Samantray said the contract with Jica ensured that the project's executing officials would undertake repairs and maintenance for seven years before handing over charge to the civic body.
He added that the state government had not neglected Cuttack and had undertaken efforts to improve its sanitation. It was also trying to increase water supply from Mahanadi river to different wards under the municipal corporation. "Most dengue cases have been reported from the Jagatpur Industrial Estate where the civic body had no role in maintaining sanitation. However, it is making efforts to contain its outbreak," Samantray added.
