Bhubaneswar, Sept. 15: Waste management and safety are two major issues the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) at Sijua is struggling to fix.

While the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation's solid waste management has eluded the medical facility due to its non-inclusion in the civic body jurisdiction, absence of street lights have turned the hospital premises and its adjoining areas into a criminals' den.

Any day one may spot construction and demolition waste lying scattered on the medical college campus, while the road outside remains dumped with garbage from shops and residential complexes.

Such unhygienic scenario, however, does not go down well with attendants of the patients admitted at AIIMS.

Pratik Maharana, the attendant of a patient admitted at AIIMS, said shops outside the institute often litter the roadside with waste. "It is a shame to see such unhygienic scenario around this premier institution. The civic body should evict these small shops and lift garbage regularly," said the Jagamara resident.

The apex institute had recently increased its bed and staff strength. At present, the hospital has 400 beds with as many as 38 functional departments. According to the hospital records, on an average outpatient departments handle nearly 1,300 patients daily.

"The people of Khurda prefer AIIMS due to the health care facility's easy accessibility. A large number of people visit this hospital and avail themselves of quality health care services. The inflow of patients is increasing every day. In such a scenario, the state government should make arrangements for basic facilities here," said a hospital administrator.

However, civic issues at Sijua remain unresolved mainly because of the state government's dilly-dallying attitude.

AIIMS director Ashok Kumar Mahapatra told The Telegraph that they had written a number of times to the Khurda district administration and also held several meetings with top officials of the state government for inclusion of the AIIMS area under the civic body's ambit, but nothing had been done as yet.

Incidentally, the Biju Patnaik Police Academy, 500 metres from the AIIMS premises, falls in corporation area. Besides, many of its surrounding areas, including Patrapada and Aiginia, have recently been brought under the corporation's fold, while the AIIMS campus remains a panchayat area.

"A private agency has been entrusted with the job of treating the biomedical waste generated by the hospital. But, it became a problem when it comes to the management of solid waste as the civic body's sanitary workers refuse to visit the campus," said the AIIMS director.

"There are a number of shops and residential complexes surrounding the AIIMS campus. They generate waste, which remains dumped for days. We request the civic body's vehicles to come and lift the garbage, but they are irregular in doing their bit. They come once in a while in alternative fortnights," he said.

On the institute's proposal for its inclusion in the civic body's area, mayor Ananta Narayan Jena said they were ready to bring the AIIMS campus within their boundary, but only after the government approval. "Once we get an official approval, we will pass a resolution and include the campus in our boundary," said Jena.

Sources in the housing and urban development department said they would consider the institute's demand for inclusion in the civic body limits. "We will take up the matter with the Khurda district administration and come up with a resolution to bring the AIIMS campus under the corporation ambit," said a department official on the request of anonymity.

However, he could not specify as to when things would materialise.

In order to include a particular area under the civic body's territory, the district administration will have to prepare a detail project report about the scope and other details of the proposed inclusion, following which the particular village will sign a resolution saying that they are willing to be included under the corporation ambit. After the process gets over, the corporation, in its council meeting, puts the proposal and adds the area in their territory.

Similar is the case with street lights in the area.

In the past six months, local people here have witnessed nearly 10 chain-snatching incidents.

"It's scary to even go near the AIIMS campus at night. The street lights are either not there or defunct. Such dark surroundings generally turn into criminals' heaven," said Uttam Jena, a shopkeeper.

Another medical shop owner Harmohan said it became difficult for them to run the shop at night due to criminal activities.

"Recently, a firing incident occurred at nearby Patrapada. It can happen anytime here. Despite being so close to Bhubaneswar, the people here lead a life of typical villager," said Harmohan.

An MBBS student of the institute said the approach road that leads the staff members and students to the academic blocks and hostels do not have street lights.

"Even during an emergency, it becomes difficult for us to come out of the hostel at night. The stretch remains a snatcher's paradise due to the darkness," said the student.