Amritsar Ward Watch Ward No 78: Basic amenities elude residents

Charanjit Singh Teja

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Amritsar, September 10

Ward number 78 consists of Guru Amardas Nagar, Indira Colony and Jand Peer areas. Most localities in the ward are underdeveloped with residents deprived of even the basic amenities. Residents of Indira Colony live in insanitary conditions with the stinking sewer water accumulating in streets. Residents living in the area between street number 9 and street number 20 face the problem of choked sewer lines. Even the main road of Indira Colony is in a pathetic condition with several potholes. The sewer water filled in the potholes proves to be a hurdle in the movement of traffic.

Kiranjeet Singh Kinny Pardhan, a local activist, said, “The sewer lines remain choked in all seasons. The manholes overflow and the sewage accumulates in the streets. MC workers visit and clean the sewer with bamboo sticks. It works for some days and then gets choked again. The MC should desilt the sewer lines properly to provide a solution. Residents living in some of the streets often get the supply of contaminated potable water.”

Bitta, another local resident, said, “Almost every house has a patient of dengue, chikungunya and malaria due to unhygienic conditions. The rainwater accumulates in the streets and stagnates for weeks. The MC staffs do not even visit for fogging.”

Sukhbir Singh, former councillor of ward number 78, said, “The MC conducts desilting of main sewer lines with super sucker machines. Such machines are not available for narrow streets. Sanitation workers are not allowed to enter the manholes. Desilting in narrow streets is a major issue in the area. The government should provide small machines for desilting of small sewer lines. Some of the roads and streets are not in good condition. We will make efforts to recarpet these streets and roads.”