Cuttack’s historical Petanala canal chokes under stacks of trash; Mayor acknowledges crisis

Cuttack’s historical Petanala canal, when an important part of the city’s heritage, continues to suffer under loads of trash, sludge and contaminated wastewater regardless of duplicated guarantees of repair, sources stated on Friday.

Citizens of CDA and Bidanasi have actually revealed disappointment over the degrading condition of the canal, declaring that beautification and renewal strategies have actually stayed restricted to main files.

Throughout the previous BJD federal government, a repair job worth Rs 36 crore was released, with desilting work and minimal building of keeping walls near CDA Sector-10. The job apparently lost momentum and has actually stayed stalled following the modification in federal government, leaving the canal blocked with silt, waste and foul-smelling water.

Extending almost 3.5 kilometres from CDA Sector-2 to Sector-10, the canal now brings domestic waste, sewage and trash, producing unclean conditions and ending up being a breeding place for mosquitoes and bugs. Homeowners state the consistent odor and contamination have actually seriously impacted their lifestyle.

The concern has actually drawn judicial attention in the past, with the Orissa High Court stepping in and the National Green Tribunal (NGT) directing authorities to take actions to make the canal pollution-free. Residents declare that little development has actually been made on the ground regardless of these regulations.

Cuttack Mayor Subhash Chandra Singh acknowledged that the canal remains in a vital state and stated its total remediation would need extra financial backing. He ensured that the matter would be raised with the State federal government. Citizens have actually advised the federal government to prioritise the revival of the historical water channel before its condition weakens even more.

“Actually, the Petanala was not a canal. It was a natural stream flowing from the Mahanadi River. As settlements grew in this location, it developed into a canal. When the CDA municipality was developed, it ended up being extremely contaminated. There have actually been duplicated needs for the advancement of the Petanala. Around 15% to 20% of the work was finished. Once the election design code of conduct was implemented, all the equipment was gotten rid of overnight. The canal went back to its initial awful state. Even the 20% to 25% of advancement work that was done is now on the edge of collapsing,” a CDA homeowner, Hemanta Mohanty, informed OTV.

“The condition of Petanala stays the same. It lies overlooked in the exact same state. Now that the monsoon season has actually shown up, if the deal with this canal had actually been performed appropriately, half of Cuttack’s soaking problems would have been resolved. We have no concept what work was finished with the 36 crore rupees?” another homeowner and social activist, Suresh Mohanty, questioned.