Union urban development minister Venkaiah Naidu will officially declare Bhubaneswar as one of the cleanest Indian cities in New Delhi on Monday. Just a day ahead of the event, Sandeep Mishra of The Telegraph steps out to check how clean is the city
Holy dump
Parsurameswar Temple - a popular religious and tourist spot - has virtually turned into a dump yard. Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation never cared to keep this holy site garbage-free. Garbage disposal goes on unabated behind the temple in the Old Town.
All in open
The civic body has failed to provide toilets and latrines across the city. As a result, in several areas people can be seen defecating in the open. With no public toilets in the area, people pee in front of the corporation office. Though a curb on open defecation was one of the major parameters for the city being judged clean, slum-dwellers are almost always seen doing it in the open. The corporation is yet to reach out to the areas with toilets and latrines. Cleanliness in public toilets and latrines is so abysmal that people tend to avoid them. In several areas, the foul smell emanating from these facilities has become a major concern for people living in the vicinity.
Solid mess
Despite spending crores of rupees every year on solid waste management, the situation remains grim. Door-to-door solid waste collection and disposal remains a distant dream for people at several places across the city. Most of the bins provided by the corporation are overflowing with waste because of irregular garbage collection by the civic body.
Road or drain
Like the toilets, the drains also wallow in neglect in most areas. Many drains are choked with plastic waste and overflows onto adjacent roads. Often, it becomes difficult for one to distinguish a road from an overflowing drain. These overflowing drains have become a haven for mosquitoes. The accompanying picture, which was taken near Ravi Talkies Square, also makes it clear that desiltation of the drains in the city is not being done at regular intervals.
