Post News Network
Bhubaneswar, May 2: The Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation, despite recently hiking the daily tariff and monthly rent of Jatri Nivas and Working Women’s Hostel respectively, has failed to ensure an increase in quality of services offered at the institutions.
The corporation during its council meeting Wednesday increased the per day tariff of Jatri Nivas from Rs 300 to Rs 500 (three-bedded room) and from Rs 900 to Rs 1,500 (17-bedded room).
The 52-room guesthouse on Cuttack Road lacks the most basic of amenities. Not even a water dispenser is available for people booking the rooms while toilets continue to emit a foul stench, belying the claims of BMC that all is well.
With temperature soaring in the city, many people — a majority of them being outsiders living at the guesthouse, are forced to put up with sweltering conditions.
All four storeys of Jatri Nivas are in an extremely unclean state. With the sole water dispenser lying defunct, boarders are forced to drink water from the overhead tank, which is cleaned only once a year.
“We have only 16 workers to take care of the guesthouse. Obviously we’re very severely short-staffed and cannot maintain round-the-clock cleanliness,” said a staffer of the guesthouse requesting anonymity.
There are 52 rooms of three-bedded, two-bedded, and 17-bedded capacity at Jatri Nivas. Currently, one has to pay `300 per day for two and three-bedded rooms, Rs 400 for five-bedded, and `900 for 17-bedded rooms.
Similarly, monthly rent of three-bedded rooms of Working Women’s Hostel at Mancheswar has been hiked from `300 to `500 and single-bedded room from Rs 500 to Rs 750.
A worker at the hostel said the lodgers live in unclean conditions and said the hostel is in dire need of an urgent revamp.
BMC taxation and finance standing committee corporator Sheikh Nizamuddin admitted there were several problems dogging the Jatri Nivas.
“The infrastructure is of very low quality, and requires immediate attention of authorities. Before implementing new tariffs, a facelift is needed for Jatri Nivas and also the Working Women’s Hostel,” Nizamuddin said.
BMC spokesperson and project officer Srimanta Mishra said the decision to hike the tariffs of the two lodgings was taken as the rates were not increased for a long time.
“The infrastructure of both the establishments would be spruced up for public convenience. The new tariff slab is likely to be implemented within a fortnight,” Mishra said.
