CUTTACK: Despite instructions from the state government, over half of the 59 wards of Cuttack Municipal Corporation (CMC) have no office of their own. What’s worse is that offices of some wards have been lying defunct for the last three years despite instructions to keep them open at least two hours daily from 10 am to 12 noon.
The concept of ward office was launched by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on August 31, 2019, during the observation of Local Self-Governance Day as part of a key urban transformative initiative under the state government’s 5T scheme. Ward offices are supposed to be the first point of contact for residents to air their grievances and are expected to provide effective service delivery such as street lighting, drainage, road, public health, sanitation, and social security among others.
Locals feel offices in their wards would reduce the time taken to air their grievances to a great extent.
“As there is no office in ward no-41, we have to go either to the CMC office or the local corporator’s residence for redressal of our grievances,” said Jashobant Barik, a resident of Jobra. Similarly, residents of ward no 59 alleged the office of their ward at Gandhi Smruti Pitha in Telengapentha has been lying defunct.
“Though we have been demanding the setting up of an office in our ward in every council meeting, the civic body has not been paying heed to it, said the corporator of Ward no 26 Gagan Ojha and of Ward No 50 Santosh Bhol. Mayor Subhas Singh, however, said the civic body has already constructed offices in 8 to 10 wards.