CUTTACK: The sanitation situation in Cuttack has gone for a toss with heaps of unattended garbage lying strewn on roadsides and public places across the city.
Not just the lanes and bylanes, even prominent places of the city are littered with garbage. The situation is evident from the current condition of the area around Badambadi square. Despite being a busy junction of the city, piles of garbage can be seen scattered all around creating an ugly scene even as commuters and local residents struggle to breathe due to the stench emanating from the area.
Sources said the area adjacent to the Badambadi police station has a mobile toilet but it is lying defunct for over a year for which people are attending nature’s call in the open near the garbage piles.
Local residents blamed the situation on the apathy of the Cuttack Municipal Corporation (CMC) in lifting garbage from the roadsides and public places. “The tall claims of the CMC to improve the waste management system in the city has proved hollow. Forget smart city standards, even basic cleanliness is a distant dream. The condition along the Badambadi square stretch is so bad that it is difficult to even breathe while passing by the area,” rued Lalit Mohan Das, a city resident.
Similar is the situation of the area behind the police station. Not just garbage, even some waste lifting carts can be seen lying discarded in the area. Despite being located in the heart of the city, the spot has become a breeding ground for mosquitoes with bushes and creepers covering the area.
“This place is just a stone’s throw away from the CMC office Bikash Bhawan. If this is the condition of the area around the police station, one can easily perceive what the situation at other areas of the city would be. We had taken the matter to the civic body but nothing has been done to clear the garbage,” said a staff of the police station. Local residents demanded that the garbage be regularly lifted and bushes and creepers cut from time to time.
Mayor Subhash Singh said steps would be taken to clean the area soon.