Infra: Chugitti garbage is an eyesore and cause of worry during Covid pandemic

Aparna Banerji

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, July 17

What began as a minor disposing off of waste a little over two years ago has now turned into a stockpile of one huge garbage site and a treat for stray animals. Used napkins, plastic waste, bulk of rotten stinking veggies, glass and plastic bottles, decomposing waste from kitchens and a miasma of cocktail refuse from local dhabas, you name it and will find all the filth dumped here at a roadside near the Chugitti Chowk. It is proving to be an unbearable rash for the residents.

Prof Namrata Joshi, who resides at the Regional Campus Laddhewali, says, “While the Swachta Abhiyaan was launched to render the city clean, for the past three years we haven’t seen this dump cleaned even once.”

She had made several complaints on the Swachta app as well but there was no response from the authorities. “It is at the very start of the area. Whenever someone has to pass by they have to cover their nose. Earlier it was spread around in a smaller area – now it is all over the place,” Namrata adds. On one occasion, efforts had been made to clean it up but all went down in drain as it soon turned back to the huge dump that it is now.

Amid these trying Covid times residents are already peeved and now the sanitation issues are a big pain in the neck. They fear that the day is not far away when it turns from a mound of waste into something more ugly and life-threatening.

Vinay, a resident of the Guru Nanakpura, has changed the way by which he travels due to the dump. While the crossing is easier and shorter from Guru Nanakpura to Chugitti underbridge, but the dump makes him reconsider everytime. “Even big vehicles find it difficult to pass by the area now. Ever since the dump was created there, it has been growing and right now it stands almost at the doorstep of the electricity office,” he shares.

He, however, prefers to take a longer detour via the BSF Chowk just to avoid the mess. “Animals squat at the stretch and while crossing through a bike is impossible, even with a car that stretch is difficult to navigate. The area is surrounded by stray animals which congregate around it. Animals have often obstructed traffic,” Vinay recalls.

Numerous complaints on apps have been made but have have yielded no result.

Councillor of ward No. 14, Manjit Singh Chattha even brought the issues to Mayor’s notice. “I have taken this issue up with the Mayor and the MLA several times. We got the area cleaned and put huge carts for people to dump wastes in and also dustbins. But everytime the spot would be buried in garbage again in a few days. Despite repeated requests, leadership has watched on as that area converted into a dump not just on periphery but even reaching other wards and city areas,” he shares.

Mayor Jagdish Raja comments, “People continue to throw waste in the area. There aren’t many more alternatives either. We could create a four walled dump as well. We shall find a solution to the issue. For the moment, we shall place dustbins to prevent the place from turning into an eyesore.”