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| Garbage and (below) waterlogged stretches inside Netaji Suvash Enclave at Gadakona in Bhubaneswar. Pictures by Ashwinee Pati |
Bhubaneswar, Sept. 4: Water logging and poor sanitation facilities plague residents of Netaji Subhas Enclave, Gadakana with Bhubaneswar Development Authorities (BDA) doing little to improve these conditions.
Continuous rainfall has compounded the problem.
“The atmosphere is completely unhealthy as there is not a single dustbin for the people to throw their garbage into. Lack of dustbins has forced us to dispose of garbage in the open. This mixes with rainwater and makes the place slushy and a breeding ground for mosquitoes,” said resident Patitapaban Sahoo.
Choked drains are another area of concern. “We have complained to the authorities about choked drains, but they have not done anything so far. As a result, stagnant water remains on the roads. This is unfortunate at a time when the government is conducting an awareness campaign on dengue,” said Satyabrata Nanda, another resident.
Security is another matter of concern for the residents.
“We were forced to park our vehicles without any security as the security guards were on a strike for seven days. During that period the situation got worse as there was no one to stop even cows from entering houses. One could still find cow dung scattered around and the entire area was stinking,” said Nihar Ranjan Panda, another resident.
Interestingly, this was the place where a sex racket was busted on July 10. Police arrested 17 persons involved in flesh trade from T- block of the Netaji Subhash Enclave.
Residents also demanded quick action from the BDA authorities who have failed to provide basic amenities so far.
“BDA generates huge revenue by selling these residential buildings, but when it comes to maintenance, authorities are never found to be alert,” said Radhamadhav Nanda, another resident.
However, BDA authorities said that the grievances of the residents would be redressed as soon as possible. “We had a meeting with the authorities and steps will be taken accordingly. Non-availability of labourers due to festive season is the reason for these problems,” said Upendra Kumar Mishra, executive engineer division II.