Cuttack Municipal Corporation lets all work flow down the drain

CUTTACK:  Trust the Cuttack Municipal Corporation (CMC) to come up with work strategies that defy even the basic logic. The sudden drain cleaning overdrive after the onset of monsoon is one such example. 

The desilted waste is literally flowing down the drain with the rain water not only causing loss of money and labour for the civic body but also raising questions on the motive of undertaking such work during monsoon.

The drain cleaning works are on at several places in the city despite clear directions of the Orissa High Court to ensure the desiltation process is over across the city before the onset of rainy season every year. The lifted waste is being dumped right by the side of the drains which flows right into it again with a spell of shower. 

"The CMC suddenly started drain cleaning work in our area on Thursday. Without shifting the waste to another place, they left it dumped on the edge of the drain. With Saturday’s rains, the dump just melted back into the drain," said Sachidananda Behera of Khatbin Sahi.

Those left out are spread on to the road creating filthy and unhygienic surroundings in the locality.  The CMC’s deliberate negligence is leading to such wastage of money and manpower," Sachidananda added.

‘There is more than meets the eye. Delaying the work till monsoons smacks of ulterior motives and hidden corruption,’ residents alleged. The rains, meanwhile, have exposed shoddy drain desilting and cleaning work with low-lying parts of the city experiencing waterlogging with the drains throwing up the waste dumped into the channels.

With the city receiving 115 mm rainfall during the last 48 hours, areas like Badambadi, Raja Bagicha, Patapola, Makarabad, Meria Bazaar, Bakharabad and Tulasipur witnessed waterlogging, making residents’ life miserable.

The city had witnessed its worst-ever waterlogging problem in 2007 with its most parts remaining submerged for two days. Taking note of the matter, the Orissa High Court had directed the CMC to complete desilting and maintenance work of drains by May 31 every year, but the civic body has turned a blind eye to the directions.

"The desilting work should ideally start in April. But CMC always delays and starts it in May. How will it be possible to complete the vast work within the scheduled time?" questioned former corporator Giribala Behera.

Executive engineer of CMC DR Tripathy said drain desilting work is being carried out in a regular manner throughout the year. "The silt lifted from drains is wet and cannot be transported instantly. That is why it is left to dry near the drains before shifting," he explained. If that is the case, why is the work not being completed in the dry season, residents countered.