CUTTACK: k: People in peripheral areas of Millennium City have resented delaying attitude of Cuttack Municipality Corporation (CMC) in setting up its zonal offices to help them avail municipal services at their doorstep.
Locals of Phulnakhara, Bamphakuda, Pratapnagari, Gopalpur, Subhadrapur, Bhadimula, Kacharapatana, Nuabazaar, Nuapatana, Bidanasi and Naraj are facing difficulties to move the CMC office at Chaudhury Bazaar here for different works. While Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) has already established its zonal offices in Capital City, CMC officials are yet to take a decision in this regard.
Amulya Kumar Barik, a resident of Bamphakuda, said it is very difficult to travel 14 km to the Cuttack Municipality Corporationoffice for different works. Due to distance, residents remain ignorant about developmental, welfare and poverty alleviation programmes sponsored by the State and Central Governments, he added.
Sources said in order to minimise the distance hindering developmental and welfare programmes, the Corporation had decided to set up four zonal offices after the Corporators of Wards 48, 49, 56, 57, 58 and 59 pressed for setting up field offices during CMC council meeting a year back. So far, no step has been initiated by the civic body on the matter.
Ward 52 Corporator Hrusikesh Pradhan said, “We have been demanding zonal offices since long, but the Cuttack Municipality Corporation authorities are turning a deaf ear to the demand.”
Cuttack Municipality Corporation Commissioner Gyana Ranjan Das said the civic administration has already decided to set up four zonal offices. However, land for the purpose is yet to be identified, he added.