Palampur Ward Watch Bindravan-Chimbalhar: Poor sanitation, broken roads, stray cattle menace irk residents

Ravinder Sood

Palampur, April 1

The inclusion of Ward No. 7 in the Palampur Municipal Corporation has had no significant impact in the area. Except the installation of solar streetlights, nothing new has been done by the MC here. Most of the internal roads of the ward are in poor shape and need immediate repair.

MLA promises funds for ward

Ward 7 residents here have been facing several issues. The roads are in poor shape and many parts of the ward do not have streetlights. Several houses do not have road connectivity. I have already taken up the matter with local MLA Ashish Butail, who has promised funds for the ward. — Sanjay Rathore, ward 7 councillor

Master plan being prepared

We are preparing a master plan for the development of all 15 wards of Palampur MC, which will be implemented in a phased manner and Ward 7 will also get funds for development works. The MC has already ordered the purchase of solar lights, which will be installed in the left-out areas. — Ashish Sharma, MC Commissioner

Also called the Bindravan-Chimbalhar ward, it comprises rural areas spread over a dozen villages. Much urbanisation has not taken place in this ward. There are no markets or bazaars here.

Before the formation of the Palampur MC, Ward 7 was part of two panchayats — Kalarkhar and Bindravan. It has hundreds of acres of forest land covered with pine trees. However, the issues faced by residents here are the same that irk locals throughout Palampur.

The jurisdiction of the ward starts from the Bindravan school and ends at Chimbalhar. There are a few small localities, which have come up in this ward recently. As per the Census of 2011, the population of the ward is around 5,000.

The Bindravan-Sidhpur road passing through the ward needs to be widened because of the high volume of traffic plying on it daily.

One can still see garbage dumped in a forest near the Bindravan market. Drains clogged with garbage are a common scene. The absence of a sewage system is further adding to the problems of residents.

In several areas of the ward, water flows onto the roads and the drains emit foul smell. The MC authorities fail to take any action against offenders despite large-scale violation.

Many villagers are not happy with the inclusion of their areas in the MC. They fear that in the coming days, heavy taxes would be imposed on them.

The menace of stray animals, including dogs, has also emerged as a huge problem here. Farmers have to protect their crop from stray cattle. Herds of stray animals can be seen roaming near Bindravan and Chimbalhar, who also pose a threat to the safety of commuters.

Idle parking is another problem, which has virtually turned many areas into accident zones as many fatal accidents have taken place in the past. Sanitation is also poorly maintained by the MC authorities. Though the MC has launched a door-to-door collection system in the area, residents avoid giving garbage to the corporation and prefer to throw it in the forest, tea gardens and drains. The MC has failed miserably to check such violations.

Ward 7 councillor Sanjay Rathore said: “Our ward is the most backward among all 15 wards of Palampur MC. Residents here have been facing several issues. The roads are in poor shape and many parts of the ward do not have streetlights. Several houses do not have road connectivity. I have already taken up the matter with local MLA Ashish Butail, who has assured funds for the ward.”

MC Commissioner Ashish Sharma said a master plan was being prepared for the development of all 15 wards of Palampur MC, which would be implemented in a phased manner and Ward 7 would also get funds for development works. He said the MC had already ordered for the purchase of solar lights and the same would be installed in the left-out areas.

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