Garbage piles up at PITEX venue ahead of expo in Amritsar; cleanup ordered

The city continues to struggle with its waste management system, with open garbage dumps now appearing across areas where they should never exist. A lack of adequate dustbins and irregular garbage lifting has worsened the situation, and the latest site reflecting this neglect is the Ranjit Avenue exhibition ground, the venue of the upcoming PITEX trade expo.

The vast ground, where skeletal structures have now been erected for PITEX, one of the region’s biggest trade exhibitions, is surrounded by heaps of garbage, in complete disregard for basic sanitation and hygiene. Food waste and single-use plastic from nearby eateries have accumulated around the developing exhibition site, even as work progresses to prepare the arena that will host hundreds of exhibitors and visitors from December 4.

Today, Amritsar Deputy Commissioner Dalwinderjit Singh held a review meeting with officials regarding the preparations for PITEX, scheduled from December 4 to 8. Taking stock of the arrangements, he said around 500 businessmen from India and abroad would participate in the expo. He instructed all departments to nominate a nodal officer to ensure smooth coordination and avoid any operational issues during the event.

Officials of the Amritsar Municipal Corporation, including Guriqbal Singh, were directed to ensure strict sanitation and hygiene at and around the venue throughout the expo. However, a single visit to the site would reveal that even the basics have not been addressed. Dry waste, plastic debris and burnt trash lie scattered outside the barricaded exhibition area, raising serious concerns about the unscientific and unsafe methods being used for garbage disposal.

“The trade expo is the biggest business event hosted in Amritsar each year, and all departments have been told to ensure arrangements, including cleanliness and parking, are properly managed,” the DC said. Meanwhile, MC officials claimed that the open dumps at the Ranjit Avenue sports ground and near the ITI had been levelled and dumping halted following criticism from residents and political leaders, including MP Gurjeet Aujla, over the civic body’s disregard for public health and hygiene.