The municipal corporation had in March hired a contractor to maintain the cleanliness of conservancy lanes, but the arbitrary nature of partner selection has proved counter-productive.

The poor delivery mechanism has angered several councillors of the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC). They have asked mayor Ananta Narayan Jena to take action against the errant contractor. The councillors claimed that the contractor had failed in his duty and his contract should be terminated with immediate effect.

“Conservancy lanes across the city had become dumping grounds for residents. This had left the lanes unclean and created unhealthy environment for those living near them. After several requests, it was decided to appointment a separate sanitation agency for the job,” said a councillor.

He, however, said that the contractor was selected after a rigorous bidding process in March, but the condition of the lanes has not changed.

“We have written to the mayor seeking his intervention in the matter. A new contractor should be hired,” he said.

Conservancy lanes are the space between rows of houses, which can be found almost everywhere in the city especially where the government quarters are located. The lanes are meant for smooth passage of various utility vehicles such as fire engines and ambulance.

However, the lanes have turned into dumping yard for the nearby houses. “The civic body has failed to put up enough number of waste bins in our area forcing us to dump the garbage in the lanes. We don’t want to do it, but in absence of proper cleanliness service, we are forced to dump the garbage in the lanes,” said Dipti Jena a resident of Unit II.

Jena said that most of the conservancy lanes are located in wards where the sanitation was being maintained by private agencies.

“I have received complaints from the councillors. A performance review of the contractor will be done and if the councillor feel the contract of the agency will be terminated with immediate effect,” said Jena.

Unit VIII resident Amar Hota said that initially sanitation workers had visited their area to clean the lanes. But they discontinued the service too soon and the lanes are back to their dirty best.

“The civic authorities are not doing an honest job when it comes to keeping the city clean,” said Hota.