Garbage dumped on the roadside at Majhi Sahi in Cuttack's Khannagar. Picture by Badrika Nath Das

Cuttack, Oct. 25: Many localities in Khannagar, including Ranamaa Sahi and Majhi Sahi, which fall in ward No. 41 of the Cuttack Municipal Corporation (CMC), are reeling from civic neglect.

It is for the last couple of months that sanitation has taken a backseat at both localities, and the neglect is now starting to affect the lives of citizens, local residents said.

“Absolutely no sanitation measures are being taken in the ward that is home to over 150 families. The locality has turned into a dumping zone, as sweepers engaged in door-to-door collection of garbage are only working when they feel like it,” said Smrutiranjan Sahu, 31, a resident of Majhi Sahi.

According to Sahu, heaps of garbage can be found dumped at different places in the locality. It has been more than three days since garbage was last cleared, and the authorities are yet to take steps to remove waste material from the area.

The conditions are similar at Ranamaa Sahi, where the famous temple of Ranamaa is located. Household waste is scattered all over the place and it usually takes at least a couple of days for garbage to get cleared.

“There are no dustbins here. As there is no specified place for dumping household waste, people are throwing garbage on the roadside,” said Bhikari Nayak, a resident of Ranamaa Sahi.

The Hyderabad-based Ramky Enviro Engineers is engaged in the daily collection and disposal of garbage in 36 out of 54 wards, including Khannagar.

Though there has been a slight improvement in the overall situation, the authorities need to speed up the process of door-to-door garbage collection so that residents do not suffer, a local resident said. Besides sanitation, poor drainage system is also another area of concern for the residents of Khannagar.

The local councillor of ward No. 41, Akshay Behera, however, said efforts are on to improve the living conditions in both Ranamaa Sahi and Majhi Sahi.

“Measures are being taken to maintain sanitation and the overall process for daily garbage collection and disposal has been strengthened,” said Behera.

He added that efforts are on to improve the road condition by linking Arunodayanagar with Linkroad. The total cost for the project has been estimated at Rs 5 lakh.

Similarly, Rs 8 lakh has been sanctioned for the improvement of the drainage channel at Ranamaa Sahi and the work for repair of drains has also begun at Majhi Sahi, the councillor said.