ROURKELA: Beyond the glitz associated with FIH Men’s Hockey World Cup-2023 lie the neglected slums of Rourkela where people struggle to get basic amenities. Bhawanipur Basti, with a population of 1,300-1,500 people from economically backward sections of the society, is a bright example.
Located in ward 31 of Rourkela Municipal Corporation (RMC), the slum does not have a drainage facility to discharge wastewater. The much-touted Jaga Mission, meant to transform slums across Odisha, has also failed to serve the purpose here. A resident of the slum, Minu Sinku said in the absence of a drainage system, several households in the locality are forced to discharge wastewater in small tanks made of mortar or pits. When the tanks fill up to their capacity, the residents empty the wastewater in low-lying areas or drains nearby.
The drains constructed by RMC are of no use to the residents as they remain clogged and are never cleaned. Another resident Sunita Murmu said the community toilet of the RMC is in ruins yet people use it as they have no other option. “The toilet blocks have no lighting and their iron doors are either broken or rusted. The residents have covered the broken portions of the toilet doors with a cloth. It causes great inconvenience to women of the slum,” she added.
Apart from a messy waste management system, slum dwellers are also struggling to get benefits from the government’s public distribution system. A resident Raghu Gope said those who have ration cards are not benefitted. “This apart, names of family members get deleted from the ration cards yet no steps are taken to rectify the errors when they are brought to the notice of local civil supplies officials,” he added. Gope also said several eligible persons are yet to get old age and widow pensions.
Former Rourkela District Congress Committee (RDCC) president Biren Senapati visited the slum a fortnight back and held discussions with the residents. Senapati said after the hockey world cup, a delegation of the RDCC would apprise the issues relating to the slum to the RMC commissioner for early redressal.