TV
Local authorities were spurred into action on Thursday over a significant infrastructure issue that had cut off a family’s house from the rest of the city in Khannagar locality of Cuttack, following a news broadcast on Odisha Television Network (OTV).
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10-foot-high drain troubles the family
According to sources, the family of Jhuri Behera found their home encircled by a 10-foot-high drainage structure, effectively trapping them and their livestock inside.
On learning about such adverse conditions, Subhash Singh, Mayor of the Cuttack Municipal Corporation (CMC), accompanied by former MLA Prabhat Ranjan Biswal and officials from the Public Works Department, visited the affected site. They assured the family of urgent measures to remedy the situation.
The senior officials committed to building a permanent staircase and instructed the relevant department to construct a connecting road soon. Mayor Singh promised the family that these issues would be resolved within a 15-day timeframe. Furthermore, he indicated that Jhuri Behera's family would be included in the housing scheme (Awas Yojana) to prevent future inconveniences to them.
This prompt response following the media coverage has provided much-needed hope to the family members who have been living under constrained conditions due to the construction around their residence.
“The Mayor assured me to construct a staircase first. An access road will be considered at a later stage. We are facing utter difficulties, and after the construction of it (a staircase), I will certainly feel happy,” Jhuri Behera expressed to OTV.
“After the news was broadcast on OTV, I contacted all officials and the local people’s representatives concerned. We took a decision to immediately construct a staircase for their (the victim family’s) convenient movement,” Mayor Singh said when contacted.
“We will also construct a two-sided access road in due course of time,” Singh added.
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“After watching on OTV, we enquired about the ground realities from local Corporator and Works Committee chairperson Pradipta Khuntia. The family has been using a bamboo ladder to access the main road, and the matter will be resolved,” Prabhat Biswal stated.
