Unattended garbage heaps continue to irk city residents

Amit Bathla

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, July 13

Lack of proper garbage collection system in the city has put a question mark over its tag of cleanest city in the state. Heaps of garbage could be seen lying unattended at various places across the city and on roads, including the GT Road, on Saturday.

Non-collection of garbage from residential colonies, homes and roadside bins irks the city residents, especially during the rainy season. A half of the staff deployed on garbage collection gets engaged in addressing rain-related issues during monsoon, leading to the problem of unattended garbage in the city.

Prof NK Gosain, a city resident, said, “The authorities concerned have miserably failed in doing their job to the satisfaction of residents. There is no fixed time and a fixed day for garbage collection. The attitude of MC authorities also shows lack of sense of accountability to the public.”

Jaswant Singh, another city resident, said, “Heaps of garbage lying unattended are a common site in many areas of the city. Our grievances have so far fallen on deaf ears. Citizens end up deceiving themselves by believing in tall claims of authorities. Nobody has a pragmatic solution to tackle the menace.”

Chief sanitary inspector Satish Kumar said, “There never has been any issue with the garbage collection service in the city. During monsoon, half of our staff focuses on issues that emerge after the rains. Dues to this, garbage at few places couldn’t be collected. However, the issue will be resolved soon.”

There are around 750 sweepers, who look after city’s cleanliness. The city has 46 garbage picking vehicles, along with a driver and two helpers. The city generates around 100 metric tonnes of garbage, on an average, every day.

Municipal Corporation Commissioner Dr Rishi Pal Singh could not be contacted, despite repeated attempts. Mayor Balwant Rai Nath said, “I will certainly look into the matter. Unattended heaps of garbage has been an issue for quite some time. The authorities concerned have been asked to address the issue as it is a blot on the city. The number of garbage trolleys will be increased, along with labourers.”

It is pertinent to mention here that the city has been declared as the cleanest in the state of Punjab by the Swachh Sarvekshan 2019.