Ainipada villagers clear a pond in Pattamundai district. Telegraph picture

Paradip, Nov. 27: Residents of an obscure village here volunteered labour to restore sanitation and cleanliness in their locality, which earlier languished in filth and squalor.

Without waiting for the panchayat and block administration to act, the villagers have succeeded in carrying out the clean-up drive in a show of community preparedness.

Residents of Ainipada village within the limits of Pattamundai police station took up the task of making the village dirt-free themselves after their repeated appeals to clean up the area fell on deaf ears.

“We were let down by the authorities. Therefore, we pledged to renovate the pond by voluntary labour,” said Babaji Charan Mallick, 68, a villager.

The village pond was full of weeds and garbage. The bushes and scrubs had overlapped the village roads, posing hindrance to vehicular movement. Besides, filth and garbage lied scattered in every perceivable corners of the village. Lack of sanitation had turned the village into breeding ground for diseases, said Sachikanta Nath, a local resident.

As the panchayat was looking the other way, the villagers formed a village development committee, which launched the sanitation drive, he added.

The village pond now wears refreshing look. A daylong community exercise, marked by spirited perseverance, has paid rich dividends, said Mallick, who heads the committee.

“People could realise that lack of cleanliness was the root cause behind a sudden spurt of diseases. The pond had turned filthy and had become unfit for public use. It had also become the breeding ground of mosquitoes,” said Durga Prasad Padhee, another villager.

“The initiative by the villagers to clean up their area deserves praise. The panchayat has been asked to carry out sanitation drive at regular intervals,” said Kendrapara collector Niranjan Nayak.