Bhubaneswar, July 1: Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) has stopped clearing garbage from the Unit-II Market building since June 24.

In a letter, the corporation has asked the Central Market Association, Unit-II, to carry out cleaning and sanitation work in front of the market’s building. In the letter, it has also asked the association to enrol itself for the express cleaning service. Garbage used to lie scattered inside the Unit-II Market area, creating discomfort for customers and other people visiting the place. This despite the fact that shopkeepers used to remove trash from the passage in front of their shops. “For the last six days, I have been cleaning the waste in front of my shop,” said Anand Sahoo, a shop owner.

The situation has got worse in the monsoon as rainwater has scattered the garbage to different parts of the market, creating further problems for the shoppers.

“I am unable to bear the stink generated from the waste. When it rains, it becomes impossible to walk even in the surroundings,” said Deepak Behera, a local resident.

However, the BMC officials justified their move of stopping garbage lifting saying that the association must enrol for the express cleaning service offered by them.

“Since the association is collecting fees from its members for sanitation work, they must sign up for the express cleaning service of the BMC,” said Vishal Kumar Dev, commissioner of the municipal corporation.

According to Ashok Kumar Panda, city health officer of the BMC, the charges for lifting one trip of waste is Rs 500. “There is no point in association not being part of express cleaning service as the service is implemented successfully in several other areas of the capital,” he said.

On the other hand, Rabi Mahanty, president of the Central Market Association, refuted the allegations of collecting charges from the members. “We already pay holding tax to the corporation, and the market building area belongs to the government, so the responsibility to clean the garbage lies with the BMC,” he said.

Amidst allegations and counter allegations, local residents and the customers have become the worst sufferers of the tussle between the market association and the municipal corporation.

“If no one takes responsibility to clean the mess in the market area in the coming days, the entire market will soon look like a dump yard,” said Minati Patra, a local resident.