Poor sanitation biggest issue

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, December 5

Amidst election fervour, residents of Inderpuri, Haripura and Guru Nanakpura area are hoping their longstanding problem of bad sewerage connectivity and poor sanitation will come to an end. They expect their problem will be solved after the coming MC elections, which will be held on December 17.

The local residents claim the combined population of these three localities is more than 25,000. Even then there is a complete disregard to the problems faced by the residents of this area. The administration has failed to provide even basic amenities like sanitation and a proper sewerage connectivity. A visit to the area revealed the sewerage chambers have been constructed in complete disregard to the height of the flooring of the adjoining houses. The walls of manholes are protruding from the middle of the street, restricting the movement of inhabitants of the area and vehicles.

The residents fear if the streets are raised to the level of these manholes, the rainwater will start entering their houses. As an obvious solution, the residents need to raise the floors of their houses to the street level, which will put unnecessary financial burden on them. The inhabitants of the Inderpuri, Haripura and Guru Nanakpura area mostly belong to the lower-income group, who can’t afford such an expenditure.

Every time when a street is paved or repaved or sewerage lines are laid, the level of the street increases. As a result, houses often have lower floor levels than the street outside due to which rainwater and sewerage water enters their houses.

The residents, however, have been bearing with the problem for years now due to the slow pace of work. They hope that the work on the streets will commence after the elections are over.

A visit to the area reveals at present, in the absence of sewerage connectivity, the vacant chunks of land in the surroundings have turned into waste ponds and a breeding ground for stray animals, especially pigs.

“These pigs are not stray animals. They are marked and are owned by a few people. In such filthy conditions, without any restraint, they feed on the waste near these ponds or at garbage heaps and spread filth everywhere,” said Satnam Singh, a resident of the area. The pigs are later sold to meat shops.

Citizenspeak

Gurdev Singh Titi, businessman

We hope the work on the streets will be completed before the Assembly elections in 2022. Generally, it is during these elections that development works for localities like ours are taken up. The work was on full swing before the recent Assembly elections and now we hope that it will start after the MC elections.

Bobby Prajapat, salesman

Hygiene is very poor here. Our councillors cannot even spend one night here due to the awful stench. During rains, streets are flooded and sewage water enter our houses.

Mukesh Krishan, salesman

While the MC has started a waste-collection system in posh localities, we have no such thing here. Residents are forced to throw waste on the streets due to non-availability of dustbins.

Mandeep Singh, a student

The government and its agencies must take care the work does not put any unnecessary financial burden on the residents. Especially, the level of the streets should not be increased at any cost.