Bhubaneswar: Barely two months after President Droupadi Murmu attended the convocation ceremony at AIIMS Bhubaneswar on July 14, the road leading to the premier hospital has once again turned into an eyesore. What was cleaned and beautified on a war footing ahead of the high-profile visit now resembles a temporary dumping yard, causing inconvenience to thousands of patients and their attendants arriving from across Odisha and other states.

The 1.5-km stretch connecting National Highway-16 to AIIMS, particularly the portion near the Biju Patnaik State Police Academy, is now littered with heaps of garbage. The waste is scattered along both sides of the road, and stray cattle are seen pulling it onto the road, making commuting unpleasant.

Encroachments along the road are reportedly increasing every day. Waste generated by makeshift shops and roadside vendors adds to the mess, while some patients and their families returning from the hospital are said to be dumping used clothes and other items along the route. Continuous rain has further worsened the unhygienic conditions.

The growing filth has drawn complaints from doctors and healthcare workers at AIIMS, who say such conditions near a leading medical institution reflect poorly on the city’s civic management.

A dispute has also emerged over who is responsible for cleaning the area. The stretch where garbage has piled up falls under the jurisdiction of Ransinghpur panchayat, not Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC). While the panchayat claims it lacks funds to manage the cleaning work, BMC says it cannot act outside its limits.

Ransinghpur sarpanch said the road was jointly cleaned by the panchayat and the municipality before the President’s visit. “Encroachments and roadside shops are again dumping waste here. We have warned the shopkeepers not to throw garbage. Cleaning is delayed due to continuous rain, but the area will be cleared soon,” the sarpanch assured.

Meanwhile, Ward No. 65 Corporator Rasmi Ranjan Patasani said the inclusion of this stretch within BMC limits is long overdue. “Given the heavy footfall of patients and visitors every day, proper sanitation is essential. We have repeatedly submitted written proposals to include this area under BMC. But due to administrative apathy, the paperwork hasn’t moved forward,” he said, adding that BMC is now planning a special cleaning drive for the AIIMS approach road.