BHAWANIPATNA: Sanitation in the town has gone for a toss with heaps of unattended garbage strewn by roadside and public places becoming a common sight at many places of Bhawanipatna.
Garbage dumps can be seen along the roads in Jorepada, Bahadur Bagichapada, Mandar Bagichapada, Badpada, Haliapada, Nuapada, Purnapada and Ramnagarpada. This apart, banks of water bodies like Purusottam Nuabandh, Ashasagar and Ghodaghat nullah too are littered with waste.
This is causing major inconvenience to residents who are facing a harrowing time due to the stench emanating from the unattended garbage. Adding to the sanitation mess, stray dogs and cattle rummaging through the garbage in search of food is also a regular sight on the streets. Residents alleged that neither the roads are being cleaned nor the garbage lifted regularly by Bhawanipatna Municipality.
Sources said under the waste management plan, the civic body had set up 200 cement concrete garbage tanks in all the 20 wards of the town with a cost of Rs 10,000 to Rs 15,000 each to collect domestic waste last year. The facilities have failed to check the garbage menace in the town as the tanks are hardly cleaned.
Similarly, toilets constructed under different Government schemes are lying unused due to lack of maintenance.
Municipality officials said now it has been decided that plastic containers will be provided to each household for doorstep garbage collection. A survey is being conducted in the town.
This apart, a nodal officer has been engaged in each ward to monitor the implementation of the sanitation plan and address the complaints of residents.
Since last week, grievance cells have been opened in different primary schools for grievance redressal, said Executive Officer Biswambar Mishra.