Sanitation work in Amritsar Improvement Trust managed areas comes to halt

After the contract for garbage-lifting awarded by the Amritsar Improvement Trust (AIT) expired, sanitation services in several Trust-run schemes have come to a standstill, leading to the accumulation of waste across the area. The contract, which ended last week, had deployed 11 tractor-trolleys for garbage lifting, with nearly 22 trolley-loads of waste being cleared daily.

But after the contract ended, cleanliness operations have been disrupted, resulting in worsening sanitation conditions, even in posh localities such as Ranjit Avenue and New Amritsar.

Ranjit Avenue, now a major commercial hub, houses the District Shopping Centre along with hotels and various business establishments in Blocks C, D and E. The area witnesses heavy footfall on a daily basis. While door-to-door garbage collection in residential pockets is being handled by the Municipal Corporation, waste lifting from markets, parking areas and roads in schemes not yet handed over to the MC, is the responsibility of the Improvement Trust.

Under the earlier contract, six tractor-trolleys were engaged to lift garbage from the District Shopping Centre and Blocks C, D and E of Ranjit Avenue. However, following the expiry of the contract, the AIT engaged labour through other contractors to continue sanitation work. The situation worsened on Thursday morning when labour associated with the old contractor allegedly stopped road sweeping work around 9:45 am.

Meanwhile, former Chairman of the Improvement Trust, Dinesh Bassi, launched a scathing attack on the Amritsar Improvement Trust (AIT) and the administration over alleged mismanagement, filth and illegal encroachments on AIT land in New Amritsar. He said New Amritsar, once considered a well-planned and posh locality, had turned into a large dumping ground due to administrative failure.

A large number of New Amritsar residents gathered at the site along with Dinesh Bassi and expressed their anger against the Improvement Trust and the administration. Bassi said that if the authorities failed to take immediate action, residents would be forced to stage demonstrations to safeguard public convenience, safety and health.