Cleanliness, choked sewers major issues in Ward No.80

Charanjit Singh Teja

Amritsar, September 29

Ward number 80 consists mainly of the village of Guru Ki Wadali and surrounding localities. Though all localities and streets in Guru Ki Wadali area of ward number 80 are facing the problem of choked sewers, the situation at Golden Avenue and Purrian Wali Gali is far from satisfactory. The manholes have been overflowing and stinking water has accumulated in the streets for the last several weeks. Residents of several localities are forced to live in disgusting conditions. The residents arranged for water pumps to suck the sewer water from the manholes and drain it out in vacant plots. They claimed that they have met all officials of the MC in this regard but to no avail.

Gurmail Singh, a resident of Golden Avenue, said, “We are residing in hell. The sewers have been choked for the last six months. We met all the senior officials of the MC but no one visited the area to address the issue. Water emitting a foul smell has accumulated outside the house. Every time when we go out, we have to wade through sewer water. We have decided to boycott the coming civic body elections until the issue of sewers is addressed.”

“The residents of Guru Ki Wadali suffer from dengue and high fever. A large number of residents complained of pain in their joints and are unable to go for work. Most are daily wagers but due to illnesses, they have been deprived of their earnings. There are several other issues related to development in the ward but cleanliness is a major one. The MC, district administration and health department all have turned a blind eye to the problem.

Sakattar Singh, former councillor, said, “The MC General House has been defunct since January. Earlier, I used to press the MC officials to send a Super Sucker Machine to clean the sewer lines. Now, the MC staff does not even pay heed to our requests. The area is facing a serious issue of choked sewer lines.”