The Pioneer 22.10.2010
Civic amenities a far cry in Cuttack satellite township
Hundreds of angry residents of satellite township of Abhinav Bidanasi, developed by the Cuttack Development Authority (CDA), gheraoed the CDA office here on Thursday demanding immediate maintenance of township’s sewerage and drainage system.
So irritated were the protestors over CDA’s apathy that they forcibly took a senior engineer of the Authority to the residential complex and showed him the poor state of affairs where each and every road of the township is flooded with mock-filled drain water.
Finding no other alternative, the executive engineer Ramesh Mohanty escaped from the clutches of the residents when he assured that everything would be in proper place within a fortnight. “I assure that the drainage and sewerage systems of Abhinav Bidanasi would be revamped within fifteen days,” the beleaguered engineer was forced to promise.
“Open manholes, water logged roads and drain water mixed with sewerage are the common sites in each road of the residential complex”, alleged Gadadhar Sahu, an advocate and resident of the area. He threatened that if the things do not improve in next 15 days as assured by the authorities, the residents would be forced to take the law onto their hands.
Wide roads, efficient sewerage and underground drainage system would have been enough for the easygoing people of Cuttack to get the feeling of a developed township. But even after more than 20 years of its existence, the basic amenities like piped drinking water is a dream here, allege the residents in unison.
Spread over an area of around 200 acres of land, the township was aimed at providing urban residential accommodation to around two lakh people to ease the pressure on overcrowded Cuttack city. But unplanned roads, poor drainage, lack of minimum civic amenities and deteriorating law and order situation are the order in the satellite township.
Originally planned to have 13 Sectors here, the township currently inhabits about 1.5 lakh people in only seven sectors developed till date. Despite population growth, the civic facilities have not proportionately developed here as a result the township is fast taking shape of any other traditional Sahi (locality) of the millennium city.
“Urban sophistication is yet to arrive here with roads being narrow and dilapidated. Thanks to Cuttack Development Authority, drainage and sewerage systems are worst here”, said Sibananda Mishra, a youth of the locality.
