Bhubaneswar, Aug. 12: For the municipal corporation, promises are meant to be broken. At least this is what appears from the civic body’s delay in implementing a pond renovation pledge made months ago.

Nearly four months have passed since chief minister Naveen Patnaik laid the foundation stone for renovation and restoration of 14 ponds across the city, but work is yet to start except in one. 

The Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation got Rs 27.09 crore from the Odisha Urban Infrastructure Development Fund to commission the projects. Civic officials said that the work would start after rains. 

Executive engineer Ratindra Nath Mallik said: “Project reports have been prepared and the tender finalised. The work will start after rains.” 

He added that work at Bhotapada pond in ward No. 10 was almost complete. The chief minister had laid the foundation stone on March 26. 

According to plan, the revamp for the 14 ponds included de-watering and removal of silt, improvement of erosion-proof embankments and construction of guard walls.

“We will plant shrubs and herbs on the banks to avoid erosion and also build boundary walls to bar animal entry. Residents will also be notified not to undertake any practice that pollutes the ponds. Security will be deployed to check the violation,” corporation’s city engineer Dwaipayan Pattnaik had said.

Out of the 14, the civic body will have a tough time renovating the fishery pond in Lakshmisagar, as it is the biggest of all. It spreads over an area of 18.99 acres. The pond is in bad shape with garbage being dumped near it and algae growing all over. The civic body got Rs 6.69 crore for renovation of the pond.

A local resident Salamat Hussain said the administration was turning a blind eye to this pond, which is in bad shape for a long time. 

“Residents continue to dump garbage in the pond. The algae will spread all over the pond. If I remember well, once the water of this water body was so clean that one could drink it. Now, it is in very bad condition,” said Hussain.

Pattnaik, however, claimed that renovation on the 12 ponds had already started and would get over in a year, while the work on fishery pond and Sundarpada pond couldn’t begin, as these were the biggest among others. “We have already proposed a revision in the cost for renovation of this two ponds. Once the revised cost is approved, it will take 18 to 20 months to complete the work,” said Pattnaik.

The condition of Kandara Pokhari in Samantapuri is also not bright with algae covering the surface of the water body. Dumping of garbage and encroachment remain other issues. “The pond water smells foul as garbage is dumped on it. The administration should do something fast to clean it,” said Jharana Mishra, a resident of Samantapuri.

Chili Pokhari in Tankapani bear the bane of encroachment and dumping of construction materials and waste. However, the Saru Gadia in Chintamaneswar is in better shape with the civic body constructing a concrete path around the small pond.