Mandi: Slippery pedestrian paths, lack of public toilet irk locals

Dipender Manta

Mandi, March 26

Inadequate parking spaces, poor condition of pedestrian paths and the lack of toilet facilities are the key issues residents of the Samkhetar ward under the Mandi Municipal Corporation are facing.

According to the residents, there is an urgent need of setting up public toilets near the cremation ground at Hanuman Ghat.

They alleged the MC had used slippery stones in a few pedestrian paths it had maintained in the ward. These stones should be removed at the earliest to avoid any untoward incident, they said.

There is also a need to construct parking lots to create parking facilities for the area residents. Naresh Vaidya, a resident of the ward, said the MC should build a public toilet near the cremation ground.

“A protection wall of a parking lot near Panchvaktra bridge was damaged in the last monsoon. It should be reconstructed to avoid damage to the parking lot,” he added. He said the public park near Hanuman Ghat should also be beautified.

Sanjay Sharma, a nominated councillor of the MC, who is also a resident of the ward, said a footpath leading to the cremation ground from the Victoria bridge side was in a poor condition. “During the rainy season, the path becomes slippery, making difficult for people to walk.”

Samkhetar Ward Councillor Nimal Verma said the process to invite bids for setting up the public toilet near the cremation ground at Hanuman Ghat had been started. Verma said efforts were being made to maintain the pedestrian paths and besides developing a parking lot in the ward.