Residents protest against civic inaction by dumping solid waste on the streets of Nima Sahi in Cuttack. Pictures by Badrika Nath Das

Cuttack, April 18: Deprived of basic civic amenities, the residents of Nima Sahi today staged a protest against the ‘callous’ attitude of the authorities who have failed to initiate steps to improve living conditions in the locality.

For more than three hours today, the residents blocked the Nima Sahi Road, connecting Jhola Sahi with Seminary Chawk, by dumping solid waste.

They alleged that no step is being initiated to maintain sanitation in the area, which has a population of over 3,000. No step is being taken towards daily collection and removal of garbage from the locality either.

“For the last 15 days, garbage has been lying unattended here. Though we had brought the matter to the notice of the civic authorities, no step has so far been taken to remove the garbage that is creating problem for us,” said Seikh Azim (40), a local resident.

According to him, the residents, living in an unhealthy atmosphere, were thus forced to stage a protest.

The overall sanitation measure at Nima Sahi, which falls in ward No. 23 of the Cuttack Municipal Corporation (CMC), is in a shambles. One can find piles of garbage dumped on roadsides, which takes days to get cleared.

“There is absolutely no sanitation in the area as there is no timely collection and disposal of waste generated. Similarly, as the dustbins are also not cleaned, people are forced to throw their household wastes on roadsides,” said Seikh Firoz (42), another local resident.

Apart from sanitation, poor drainage system is another area of concern for most of the residents here.

“Most of the drains in the locality are so narrow and clogged that they are unable to discharge wastewater to the branch stormwater drain. No step is being taken to clean up the drains here,” said Seikh Sharif (44), another resident.

Vehicular movement on Nima Sahi Road was suspended from 8am to 11am because of the road blockade by the residents. The situation was brought under control after city health officer N.C. Raj assured the residents of initiating steps to solve their grievances.

“Steps will be taken to ensure that there is timely collection and disposal of garbage from the locality which is an issue of concern,” said Raj.

According to him, adequate steps are being taken to improve sanitation in all the wards of the city. Mechanised sweeping, too, will be introduced in the city from May 1.

“Steps will also be taken to ensure that such incidents do not happen again,” added the city health officer.