Bhubaneswar: Citizens are forced to wade through stinking wastewater in unhygienic conditions as a chocked municipal drain near the Fire Station Square has left National Highway No. 5 and its surrounding areas flooded for the past few days.

Though residents have raised the issue with the civic authorities, there has been no response so far.

"I had called up the Bhubaneswar One helpline to file a complaint on Monday. I got an acknowledgement message, but drain repair has not been taken up yet," said complainant Sambit Mishra.

He said that he got two calls on consecutive days after filing the complaint from the civic authorities when they ask for the exact location of drain. "I have informed them the site, but I have never seen them coming and repairing the drain. It is overflowing since past four days," said Sambit, a resident of Baramunda.

The delay in repairing the drain has resulted in wastewater flowing on the highway and nearby localities, said commuter Girish Majhi.

It is not for the first time that the drain has been chocked and water overflowing on the road. Residents say that it has become a regular affair now.

"Instead of taking temporary measures, there has to be efforts to fix the drain issue permanently. The civic body is forcing us to live in an unhygienic condition," said Baramunda resident Bidyadhar Barik.

A reality check by The Telegraph on Wednesday revealed that the damaged drain runs parallel to the highway. It is supposed to carry and discharge rainwater during rains. But residential and commercial establishments are releasing wastewater into the storm water drain.

"We will send our team to survey the area and check if the households and commercial establishments are releasing wastewater into the drain. We will also check dumping of wastes in the drain. This is leading the drain to get chocked," said a senior civic official.