The BJP workers held demonstration in front of the municipal and tehsil offices here on Monday, alleging poor sanitation drive by the civic body and immediate appointment of a permanent tehsildar in Umarkote.
They took out a huge motorcycle rally in the town shouting slogans against the ruling BJD and district administration. They alleged that as the post of Tehsildar has been lying vacant for more than five months, people are facing various problems and revenue-related works are not done.
Presently, the Block Development Officer of Raighar is acting as in-charge Tehsildar who is always found busy in other works in the block office at Raighar. The people who visit the Tehsil complex return their home without their purpose being served. They demanded immediate appointment of a permanent Tehsildar here and declare Umarkote as a sub-division soon.
They further alleged that the cleanliness drive in the town is nothing but than an eyewash, as no work has been done on ground. Garbage piling up on the roads and overflowing drains reflect the sorry state of affairs on the sanitation front in Umarkote.
The municipality spends Rs 7.30 lakh per month for sanitation, but it seems only in pen and paper. The organic dumps not only attract flies but also turn into a breeding ground for mosquitoes. Crores of rupees have gone down the drain in the name of improving civic facilities and development as most roads in the town have developed cracks and potholes within six months of being renovated.
A major portion of the town has no streetlights, as a result, people feel unsafe after dusk. They threatened to intensify their stir in the town if the problem persists further. Among others, Nabarangpur district BJP president Gobind Jain, Ramesh Sahu, Nitya Gond, Ashok Padhy and Suresh Achayari were present.