Sanitation in Rourkela city, which has a population of around six lakh, has gone for a toss as the plant continues to be delayed. Heaps of garbage are unscientifically dumped in low-lying areas across the city.

In 2007, Sundargarh district administration had asked the Rourkela Municipality for setting up a domestic waste treatment plant at a cost of ` five crore sanctioned under the 12th Finance Commission. Till date, the administration has not been able to find a suitable place for the project.

After facing opposition from the locals at Balughat, the administration unsuccessfully tried to earmark land in adjoining Bisra and Lathikata blocks for the purpose.  Municipality sources said above 60,000 households spread over the municipality limits daily generate between 115 tonnes and 120 tonnes of garbage while the contribution of the captive township of Rourkela Steel Plant (RSP) is another 70 tonnes. In a joint arrangement in 2010, the municipality and RSP decided to set up a treatment plant within a year and RSP was to arrange 35 acres of land at Tarkera. The civic body had then offered ` two crore in the first phase. However, things went awry for unknown reasons.

Municipality Vice-Chairman RN Mishra admitted that the proposal has been put on the back burner. The civic body has reportedly utilised a major portion of the said fund towards outsourcing the sanitary services.

Having unscientifically dumped garbage in low-lying areas of Balughat, Civil Township, near the Rourkela Government College, STI, Power House Road and Koel Nagar, the municipality has now settled for the vacant space between the airstrip and BPUT campus. The RSP too has been dumping wastes there. Regional Officer of Odisha State Pollution Control Board Niranjan Mallick said last year, both RSP and the municipality were slapped with show cause notices. While the RSP is carrying out soil topping, municipality is yet to oblige, he added.