Cuttack, May 12: The civic body is struggling hard to dispose of the silt removed from major storm water drainage channels in the city.

Further, yesterday's heavy downpour has adversely affected the Cuttack Municipal Corporation's plan for fast removal of the excavated silt dumped along major roads.

The fresh spell of rain has compounded the problems for commuters as the piled up silt has again spilled on to major portion of the stretch at Meria Bazar and Bajkrabati Canal Road. The excavated silt that was earlier left to dry on roadside has become wet in the rain, creating problems and delay in its removal.

At present, the road connectivity from Buxi Bazar to Meria Bazar via Baropathar and the Pravat cinema-side has been cut off due to dumping of silt on road for the past two days.

"The delay on part of the civic body is to be blamed for such mess on roads. The road has become slippery and a tough stretch for pedestrians to walk on," said Kaustuv Mitra, a commuter.

A senior official said the process of silt removal, especially along the main storm water channel No. 1 from Pravat cinema to Meria Bazar, was expected to be taken up from today.

It will take at least two to three days more for the entire stretch of nearly 3.5km road from Pravat cinema up to Bajrakabati Road via Meria Bazar and Kesharpur to be cleaned up, official sources said.

"We have already instructed contractors to take necessary measures for fast clearance of silt, but the rain that lashed the city yesterday has delayed the process," said corporation commissioner Gyana Das.

Das said the contractors engaged in de-silting operation, especially from the main storm water channels, would be asked to ensure that the silt was properly removed from the channels.

A civic body official said that keeping in view the meteorological department's forecast of early arrival of monsoon, adequate steps were being taken up to clean up drainage channels by May end.

Besides, high power pump sets have also been procured. These will be utilised in fast clearance of rainwater at various locations in rains this year. The annual de-silting exercise, undertaken by the corporation, is essential for ensuring fast discharge of waste and excess rainwater.

The annual de-silting operation, essential to prevent waterlogging in several localities, covers the entire drainage system consisting of two main storm water channels stretching up to 25km.

The civic body annually spends around Rs 1.5 crore towards silt removal from all the drainage channels.