Bhubaneswar, Jan. 30: Neglected spaces behind two rows of houses in a Saheed Nagar ward are being turned into beauty spots.

Known to be breeding grounds for weeds, mosquitoes and insects, the councillor of ward No. 30, Saswati Mishra, has taken the initiative to transform these conservancy lanes into beauty and leisure zones.

As charity begins at home, Mishra's first such effort was revamping a conservancy lane near her home.

Conservancy lanes are space allotted behind two rows of houses in old colonies across the city in Saheed Nagar, BJB Nagar, Satya Nagar, Surya Nagar, Ashok Nagar, Bapuji Nagar and government colonies.

As sewer and water supply lines run through these stretches, residents and civic authorities rarely care for these lanes. Over the time, people begin to throw garbage in these lanes and they slowly turn into a dump yard.

Mishra's success in revamping the lane near her residence prompted her to take the initiative to other areas of the ward. Prodded by two residents from her ward, Mishra embarked on the task to beautify the second conservancy lane in December last year. The lane to be beautified runs between 12 plots is 420 ft long and 15 ft wide.

Asked about the process involved to transform a filthy stretch into a beauty zone, the councillor said: 'First the lane will be cleaned. There will be permanent cement benches for people to sit and relax. The house owners will provide electricity to lit the area. Flowerpots will be kept in the lane to add to its beauty. We will develop the middle portion as a bed for smaller flowering plants.''

She said that the compound walls of the lane were being painted with tribal motifs to match the background and the pavements.

Arun Rath, a local businessman, said: 'The residents of Saheed Nagar are gradually understanding the importance of having clean and garbage free conservancy lanes. By keeping these lanes clean we can prevent diseases such as malaria and dengue.''

Bibhuti Mishra, a government employee, said: 'The education in cleanliness should start from near home. If we cannot keep our immediate neighbourhood clean, then we cannot think of a clean city. I hope more residents of Saheed Nagar and other localities in the city will follow the example and replicate it.''

Maintaining the cleanliness of conservancy lanes is becoming a challenge for the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation as most of these are now used for dumping construction debris and usual household solid wastes.

'Clean conservancy lanes should be a campaign and it can be achieved with low investment. While the first one in Saheed Nagar has cost us Rs 70,000, so far nearly Rs 40,000 has been spent on the second project. Residents and councillors of other localities can try to replicate this model to ensure a clean Bhubaneswar,'' said Mishra.

Once she is through with the second project, Mishra is likely to take up conservancy lanes near the State Bank of India branch and another near Kalinga Sales in Saheed Nagar for cleaning and beautification work.