Garbage dumps make town susceptible to diseases

Gagan K Teja

Tribune News Service

Samana, December 18

Traffic congestion, encroachments and poor garbage disposal are just some of the problems that the authorities in Samana have to tackle. Residents have a tough time parking their vehicles due to space constraint in the town that falls in the constituency of Cabinet Minister Surjit Singh Rakhra.

The markets in the town have become very congested with several encroachments having come up in all markets.

One can often see garbage dumps in different parts of the city. This has made the residents of the town susceptible to vector-borne diseases. Moreover, water-logging continues to be a major problem during the monsoon season. Though the council has laid sewerage lines in most of the areas, these get choked in the rains.

A team of engineers from Chandigarh had inspected the area and informed the council that the sewerage lines were small. But the council has not taken any step to address the problem. The outbreak of diarrhoea in the monsoon is quite common. There are no public toilets in most areas.

Annual budget

The municipal council (MC) has an annual budget of Rs 11.25 crore, out of which Rs 5.43 crore is allocated to pay salaries. Around Rs 2.88 crore is spent on paying power bills and the maintenance of water supply and sewerage lines.

The MC has earmarked Rs 28.82 lakh for contingency expenses and Rs 75 lakh for the maintenance of roads. The MC collects most of its revenue from property tax, sale of property, regularisation of houses and VAT.

Infrastructure

Samana has 14 government schools and 30 private and aided schools and the student strength is approximately 15,000. The community health centre in the town has good facilities.

Political landscape

In 2008, the SAD-BJP alliance won the council poll with Akali leaders winning most of the seats under the leadership of Kapoor Chand, a confidant of Cabinet Minister Surjit Singh Rakhra. However, there is infighting in the alliance. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) can make an impact in the forthcoming local body elections.

Unkept promises

Though the government has installed a water treatment plant in Samana, the council has failed to supply treated water to residents. The council pays a monthly electricity bill of Rs 3 to 4 lakh

The state government had announced to open an Industrial Training Institute in Samana almost five years ago, but work on the project is yet to begin

Fact file

Number of wards: 17
Total population: 55,000
Number of voters: 39,108
Male voters: 20,577
Female voters: 18,531
Infant mortality rate: 29
Gender ratio: 932/1,000

Health/education

Government schools: 14
Private & aided schools: 30
No. of students: 12,414
Community Health Centre
Annual intake of indoor patients: 15,733
Annual intake of outdoor patients: 1,40,772

Financial stats

Budget: Rs 11.25 crore
Salaries: Rs 5.43 crore
Power bills: Rs 2.88 crore
Contingency expenses: Rs 28.82 lakh
Road maintenance: Rs 75 lakh
The MC collects revenue from property tax and VAT