A defunct tube-well at Sabara Sahi and (right) an ill-maintained storm water drain near Cuttack Road. Telegraph pictures

Bhubaneswar, March 2: The Old Sabara Sahi in Chintamaniswar is just two kilometres away from the seat of power — the secretariat. However, the benefits of development are yet to reach residents of the area.

The residents who fall under ward No. 49 of the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) are yet to get pipe water supply. A tube-well dug in the area years ago, too, lies defunct.

The residents have to walk all the way to the main road to collect drinking water. A drainage channel that flows nearby contaminates the water in the open well inside the colony.

Damaged roads, broken and blocked drains are the other features of ward No. 49. Residents here allege that there has been no attempt to repair roads in the area in the past decade. The ward includes areas such as Kalpana flats, Sabara Sahi, Chintamaniswar, Champa Pokhari and BJB Nagar ‘A’ type quarters.

Councillor of ward No. 49 Amaresh Jena blames lack of funds and work undertaken by the sewerage board for some of the ills. “There are 22 roads in the ward but with the sewerage board digging up almost all the stretches, only one major road could be renovated in the last financial year. With Rs 60 lakh available to councillors, all the development aspects cannot get adequate attention. Areas like ours should get more funds,” he said.

Local resident and businessman Ajay Mohanty said the road from Kalpana to Badagada connects five wards, but its condition remains pathetic. Small roads like the one in front of Kalpana flats need the attention of civic authorities. Already, work to lay a sewerage pipeline has extensively damaged roads in the area.

Another resident of Chintamaniswar, Debasish Bhol, said damaged drains and dumping of solid waste by residents, business establishments, hotels and restaurants cause dirty water to flow onto the roads. “The water flowing on the roads is damaging the surface of the road.”

“Several houses and multi-storeyed structures that have not procured the required permission from the civic authorities have been under construction in the area. This could create waterlogging in the rainy season,” added Bhol.

The local councillor conceded that many multi-storeyed structures in ward No. 49 were being constructed without obtaining no-objection certificates from the BMC. “Not only storm water drains or secondary and tertiary drains, even natural drainage channel No. 6 which passes through the ward is getting blocked because solid waste is being dumped,” Jena added.

Regarding drinking water problem in Old Sabara Sahi, municipal commissioner Vishal Kumar Dev said that money had been given to the Public Health Engineering Organisation to provide pipe water supply to the urban poor.

“The other problems of the region will also be addressed as per provisions,” he said.