
Garbage dumped on a vacant plot in Banke Bihari Gali of Ward No. 15 in Amritsar on Friday. Vishal Kumar
Neeraj Bagga
Amritsar, September 22
Residents of Ward number 15 are grappling with a number of civic and electricity-related problems almost daily. Some problems become acute as the ward has not only houses, but also commercial and industrial units.
The mess created by tangled webs of electricity wires and optical cables at almost every street of the ward is an eyesore for visitors and residents. Huge insulated conductors, which are meant to be laid underground, are routed overhead without bothering about the risks involved. These power glitches are visible in different areas of the ward. An electric transformer installed in the middle of an intersection of three roads is a nuisance for commuters. They fear a vehicle, if crashes into it, can be fatal for motorists.
Several plots in the ward are left unconstructed. These have been turned into a garbage dump for residents. A prolonged delay in lifting the garbage is behind the odour always prevailing in the area. Besides, insanitary conditions prevailing in the area which has a number of residential and commercial pockets.
There are some streets in the ward which are still lying unmetalled. A light rain is enough to turn some unpaved roads into slush. The residents demand immediate construction of the streets so that people can commute easily, especially during rainy days, as vehicles tend to skid.
The localities which fall under the ward are Sandhu Colony, Lakshmi Vihar, Parkash Vihar, Vishal Vihar, parts of Nehru colony, three streets of Sukhs ki Haveli, Anandpur Kutiya, Chand Avenue andparts of the Batala road.
Ram Bali, former councillor of the ward, said the paraphernalia of the electricity was installed during the previous government and these were not done by the AAP government. He accepted that a couple of streets of the area were yet to be constructed and work on resolving the sewerage problem on some streets was underway.