Modern amenities, cleanliness top residents’ wishlist
Better amenities, civic order expected
Foremost, the residents expect good roads, street lights and eradication of the stray dog menace which has assumed alarming proportions as reflected in a number of incidents. Secondly, they expect supply of clean water. Last, but not the least, they expect that hawkers will not be allowed to use speakers from noon to evening.
Sanjay Chawla
new councillors will have to prove ability
There are so many problems that have come up in cities where the MC House was dissolved awaiting fresh elections. The residents of the cities elected new municipal councillors from their wards so that they can solve the problems and beautify the city. The people want to have good roads, without waterlogging during the rains, and a sewage system which does not allow waste water to overflow into the streets. Vehicle parking space should be sufficient to prevent traffic snarls. Proper parking is necessary to enable children to play and the elderly to walk around or take a stroll. Streamlining vegetable markets outside the city and keeping them clean should also be a priority. Providing facilities offered by the government to residents at their doorsteps is important.
Newly elected MCs have the duty to save public property occupied in an unauthorised way. Plant more trees to make cities green. In the end, we can say that newly elected municipal councillors should do their work fairly in their wards without being partial so that the development of the cities can be carried forward.
Sucha Singh Sagar
Managing waste is
a serious issue
In the recently held MC elections, the residents elected 85 councillors in a single day, i.e., December 21 last year but the election of Mayor is still marred by chaos and uncertainty. In such a scenario, what can the residents expect from the elected representatives and their political bosses, which depict a situation full of dismay and sheer hopelessness. However, the residents are expecting restoration of lost glory of the city which was once the most beautiful city of Punjab. The most glaring issue is that of ensuring visible cleanliness and sustainable management of city garbage on a scientific basis. The city needs to be thoroughly cleaned on a daily basis without any heap of trash anywhere in its periphery. There are so many other issues which need to be taken up simultaneously. They include building and maintaining city roads, installation and repair of street and road lights, tackling permanently the menace of stray cattle and street dogs in the city. There are numerous other issues which need urgent attention but these are basic and need to be taken up on priority basis.
Jagdish Chander
Win means more responsibility
The ruling party in Punjab achieved a significant victory in the recent civic body elections, securing an impressive 55 per cent of the total votes cast. As much as it is a big event, it brings along new responsibilities which fall on the party's shoulders. The general masses have a lot of expectations from the freshly elected civic body as many issues in Punjab have been unnoticed and avoided for a long period of time. The government's main goal should be to make a greener and cleaner Punjab with fewer landfills and more parks. The community parks should be upgraded and well-maintained to promote physical and mental wellness among the citizens of Punjab. In addition to this, the landfills and street trash should be completely cleared off the roads and fertile land of the state to promote crop growth and also save the lives of many stray animals who suffocate because of street plastic. The experts should develop a way to dispose of non-biodegradable plastic and other waste in the most environment-friendly way. Thirdly, many corporate offices are heavily understaffed, resulting in hours of waiting lines for the masses of Punjab. The government should appoint and start volunteer drives for the unemployed and youth of the state to assist in corporate work which can ease the load. In addition to this, online portals should be formed for lighter works like electricity bills etc to save time and increase the productivity of the common man of the state. Last but not least, the province is not in its most peaceful condition with the crime rate spiking and robbery, snatching incidents reaching a high. Police enforcement should be adequately funded and the force should be provided with appropriate equipment and constitutional power to instill fear in the hearts of criminals and prevent such situations. Also, more strict laws should be enforced in the state and the police should make Punjab a safer place to live in. In all, the government has a long list of work and they can achieve the expectations and prove that they didn't make false promises.
Lakshit Jindal
Focus on civic amenities
Municipalities are the primary face of the government, responsible for infrastructure development and upkeep of civic amenities in cities and towns. As local residents elect public representatives to these bodies, they make several commitments to improve facilities in their respective wards for seeking electoral favours. Generally, however, the candidates do not remain that focused after getting elected and the citizens continue to suffer despite paying taxes and maintenance levies to local bodies. Recently, in all big cities of Punjab, including Jalandhar, municipal elections have been held and the residents expect that the newly elected representatives will fulfill the promises regarding the resolution of lingering civic issues and the speedier execution of pending projects. Among these issues, solid waste management requires foremost attention, demanding that all garbage dumps be located away from the residential areas, and the urgent adoption of technology to prevent environmental pollution. Since many items from waste like plastics, metals etc can be recycled, the residual bio-mass can serve as useful manure for organic farming, unscientific burning of bio-mass has to be strictly curbed. It is also imperative to ensure regular transportation and introduce measures for segregation of domestic waste in households to facilitate faster and easier decomposition. Other common problems like illegal encroachments, parking space, broken roads, non-functional street lights, which gravely perturb public life, need to be addressed effectively. Besides, choked sewers and waterlogging in cities continue to haunt residents without any credible solution. All the potholed roads and streets require immediate repairs to avoid inconvenience to commuters. Apparently, a definite strategy has to be evolved to check alarming pollution by prohibiting the use of toxic chemicals, unspecified chimneys and the unrestricted flow of harmful effluents into air or water bodies by industrial units. The officials have to be made accountable for lack of strong vigil on environmental care. To be more specific, a proactive approach has to be followed where municipal authorities and the citizens work collaboratively to streamline services and maintain proper hygiene and cleanliness in cities and towns.
Nirmaljit Singh Chatrath
Remove hurdles that impede growth
The mayors to various Municipal Corporations will be announced soon and they will take charge of their respective Municipal Corporations. There are a number of development works that are still pending in the cities which have been designated in the category of "Smart City" funds .There are still a number of development works which need immediate attention like disposal of garbage, changing of water supply line pipes which are more than 50 years old. Introduction of electric city buses for the benefit of the masses for travelling within the city, strict following of traffic lights by the e-rickshaws, removal of footpaths which are not in need or are not used by the pedestrians are measures that can certainly increase the width of the roads. This will benefit in parking of vehicles, regular cleaning of sewer pipes and sewer chambers with machines throughout the year for smooth flow of water in the sewerage lines. There is also need to take along all sanitation workers (Safai Sewaks) who have been appointed on an ad hoc basis and form a new wing to look into the repair of potholes within a stipulated period.
Rajat Kumar Mohindru
Complete projects, show results
After elections, finishing incomplete projects is essential to maintain public trust and deliver promised benefits. All the councillors should sit together and access the current status of unfinished projects. They should identify projects based on potential impact on the public, economy and infrastructure. Ensure that proper funding, manpower and materials are available. Recall the contractors to finish the leftover work and communicate it to the public to maintain trust. Streamline approval and clear bureaucratic hurdles. Set clear deadlines to finish the work. Carpeting of roads and lifting of garbage are ongoing issues which nobody is trying to resolve, they are not even in the list. The public is helpless. Now, the elections have been won and the leaders have become more powerful but they should keep in mind that ultimately it is the public that chose them and voted for them.
Shashi Kiran
Bottom-up approach required in cities
The most important issue in city planning is proper town management with right planning. Haphazard development of the city with wrong policies and illegal buildings has led to the congestion of lanes, leading to suffocation. Every city should have a proper master plan that must include a plan for large buildings and houses, proper width of roads as per traffic, and green belts so that the city can be decongested and made more aerated. Every department should participate in preparing the master plan, and it must include all modern facilities. Once the master plan is prepared, all layouts of individual colonies should be printed on guide maps, and they should stand in all colonies so that any illegal building constructed can be easily caught by the public. Councillors should ensure that actual development proceeds according to a planned manner and not in an unmethodical way. Any change in the layout plan should take into consideration people's suggestions so that their participation in development can be ensured. In
a nutshell, the councillor
should ensure a bottom-up approach so that people's participation in the development process can be the maximum.
Harvinder Chugh
Question for next week
With the banned Chinese kite string claiming the lives of humans and animals in the recent past, what steps should the district administration take to strictly enforce the ban on the sale of the synthetic string?
Suggestions in not more than 200 words can be sent to amritsardesk@tribunemail.com by Thursday (January 16)