Insanitary conditions in Kaithal localities

Our Correspondent

Kaithal, October 29

Various localities in the town have stinking and insanitary conditions at a time when thousands of persons are suffering from various diseases. The health authorities have repeatedly advising residents to maintain proper cleanliness to keep diseases away.

Heaps of accumulated garbage and overflowing garbage bins are a common sight. Shopkeepers and safai karamcharis throw the collected waste around bins. This aggravates the insanitary conditions but the municipal council (MC) authorities have failed miserably to do the needful.

After receiving public complaints, the DC has pulled up MC officials for laxity on their part in maintaining cleanliness. Such a dressing-down has a short-term effect on the MC staff and soon the problem is back.

MC secretary Kuldip Singh confirms that about Rs 15 lakh per month is being paid to a private contractor for collecting, lifting and carrying garbage to the dumping ground on the Khurana road.

The MC has been utilising the services of 385 safai karamcharis and paying their salary bills running into lakhs of rupees, but localities continue to present a pathetic look. Garbage heaps could be noticed frequently in the vicinity of the MC office.

A labour union leader asks how sanitation could improve when some officials and councillors have two or three sanitary workers posted for their personal duty. Residents of many colonies existing for over 40 years do not have regular sweeping facility.

Whenever residents complain, some safai karamcharis are sent to collect scattered waste with brooms, but garbage is not lifted. Bins at a number of places are overflowing, causing inconvenience to commuters and nearby shopkeepers.

The workers perform the hazardous job with bare hands, exposing themselves to contagious diseases.