CUTTACK: The mindless dumping of silt generated during drain cleaning work by the Cuttack Municipal Corporation (CMC) on the roadsides has posed serious inconvenience for the city residents.
Sources said heaps of silt dug out from the drains are being left unattended on the roadside for several days, creating an ugly, stench-filled unhygienic atmosphere and leading to traffic jams.
Such a situation was witnessed along the busy Dolamundai-Haripur road where drain cleaning was undertaken on Tuesday morning. Local residents said sanitation workers engaged by the CMC started drain cleaning work at around 8.30 am. However, they kept dumping the silt generated from the cleaning work along the roadside, narrowing the width of the stretch which is already usually busy.
Eventually, heavy traffic jam was witnessed as vehicles attempted to squeeze into the remaining clean space left on the stretch. “We got stuck in the traffic jam and had to tolerate the unbearable stench around since silt occupied a major portion of the road,” said Pramod Moharana, a commuter.
The worst sufferers were the pedestrians who could barely walk on the road which was half covered by silt and the rest congested by vehicles. Local residents said though drain cleaning was a good thing, the silt which usually lies unattended for several days, creates an unhygienic condition forcing them to keep their doors and windows closed.
“This is not an isolated case. Such scenes are quite common whenever CMC undertakes drain cleaning work,” said some residents.
Deputy commissioner (sanitation) Jubilee Behera said the silt taken out from drains is usually in a semi-liquid condition owing to which it is left to dry for some time to facilitate shifting. “I would still ensure that the silt is removed from the road as soon as possible,” she added.
Meanwhile locals demanded that the civic body adopt modern tools and techniques for simultaneous removal and shifting of silt along with the drain cleaning work.