Open House: Aren’t authorities responsible for garbage, insanitary conditions in many city areas?

Clean your village, put waste in bins

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We see that there are piles of dung and garbage in almost every village. And we say that the sarpanch is at fault in this. But somewhere the mistake is also ours. We clean our house and throw our garbage outside the house which is wrong. Punjab government should install dustbin in every village so that people can throw their garbage in the dustbin. If there are piles of dung, then sarpanch should remove those piles. If we see any garbage anywhere, we should put it in the dustbin without any shame, it is our duty.

Subhkarman Kaur Sarchur

Public, govt both have responsibilities

We can see heaps of garbage in big and small cities. It brings many diseases among the people. Cleanliness is a personal issue that ends up in public. Lack of awareness makes people spit, urinate and throw garbage anywhere. People have the habit of keeping their homes clean and throwing waste outside. To solve the problem of garbage, the state government should put a sufficient number of dustbins in public places: hospitals, railway stations, bus stands, parks, hotels, temples, work places and pavements. Local bodies and state government officials should play an important role in removing heaps of garbage from public places. They should provide sufficient dustbins and flushes for urinating and passing stool. After the availability of dustbins and flushes, if anyone throws garbage, polythene, or plastic in parks, open places, or urinates and defecates, he or she will be punished and pay heavy fines.

Sucha Singh Sagar

Poor Garbage disposal Serious Problem

We know that we have a serious garbage problem. But the problem is not finding the right technology for waste disposal and garbage pollution. Waste is the main reason for environmental pollution in both developed and developing countries. The environment becomes messy due to improper disposal of garbage, which creates many diseases. What can the government do for this problem? If we use fewer things that are in the form of garbage, the environment be clean and our lives would be safe from diseases. If I understood correctly, it is the duty of the government to clean the environment. No, it is our duty to clean the earth because we throw things, so to clean the earth is our duty.

Rajbir Kaur Jangla

NIGHT CLEANING FOR IMMEDIATE RESULTS

Looking at the number of paper or plastic bags people leaving a Mall carry with them, one can estimate the ‘pre-garbage’ going into our homes. The same will turn into garbage and sit outside the colony before it is lifted by the Municipal Corporation when they have time. The quality of the garbage also differs from locality to locality. The polluter has absolutely no responsibility as to its proper disposal. Vacant plots or slightly low-lying area become an acceptable dumping spot and eyesore for residents of high-end colonies. One remembers with nostalgia the time when the city used to have policy of night cleaning and people would wake up to see a well spruced up town. A narrow rail went round the southern half of Amritsar circular road and pulled a chain of small open vans to the dumping spot, the locomotive whistling nonstop, from where they were passed on to horticultural fields and fruit orchards lining the city then. A municipal Darogah with a whistle in mouth, would check the streets at 8.00am. Streets/localities not responding to laws were imposed ‘taavaan’ (a Persian word meaning collective penalty). Unfortunately now, even the PM’s concern for SWACHHATA’ does not go beyond some sweeper wielding photos in the media. Residents of posh colonies should ensure separation of garbage and dispose it off only when the van arrives. Standard of living should be reflected in the standard of cleaning even if costs in terms of cash and kind. Teams of young people should be trained and encouraged to develop clean and cleaning habits. City authorities must ensure night cleaning which will make the process faster and streamlined. Special awards may be introduced for van drivers who keep their machines neat and clean. I think formal seminars must be organised inviting the sanitary staff and the housemaids appreciating their services to the society. Remember, cleanliness is not a dirty business.

PROF MOHAN SINGH

PEOPLE ARE ALSO ACCOUNTABLE

Not only are the city officials but also we the people responsible. Amritsar is known for its vast heritage and historical buildings. But due to mismanagement and ignorance of people, some old buildings and roads turned into dump sites. Many Historic areas are located around the Golden Temple. Garbage trucks cannot reach there because of the narrow streets. So the people living there are left with no other option to throw the garbage in the open or in the old buildings left behind by the people who migrated to Pakistan at the time of partition. Some buildings have been turned into safe havens for drug addicts. Even garbage collectors empty their trucks on the roadside. Garbage heaps on roadsides are the cause of malaria and many uninvited viruses. Officials clean roadside dumps only when there is VVIP movement in the city otherwise they don’t bother. Lakhs of tourists visit the city daily and these dumps portray the negative side of the city. The city needs more green belts alongside the road but not the garbage dumps. We are also playing a major role in spreading diseases by throwing garbage in the open. It is time to become aware of this serious issue. NGOs from the city must come forward and help the authorities. There must be seminars in every colony and also in schools to make people aware about this NGOs, residents and city authorities must join hands make the city clean and green

HARPREET SINGH UPPAL

Proper master plan must be prepared

There are many reasons that piles of garbage are lying in the cities. The first thing is the lack of proper planning of disposal and the second is the lack of garbage processing by Municipal Corporations (MCs). While making master plan for cities, proper earmarking of sites for garbage disposal must be done. None of the resident wants the dump should be built near their residential areas. But if pre-planning is done before allocation of plots in any colony and sites for garbage disposal shown to the allottees of plots through layout plans then such opposition will not come as people will purchase plots by observing all these aspects. Moreover, dumps should be planned away from residential areas as per pollution control board guidelines and proper sanitation should be done there. Hence, what is required sincere participation of all departments for the proper making master plan of cities and thereafter proper making layout plan of colonies so that disposal sites of garbage should be an integral part of the plan of every colony. Certainly, thereafter government must plan for the processing of garbage. The industry should come forward and put up processing plants. Moreover, the government should give incentives to such industries.

Harvinder Singh Chugh

Officials must do their job

The authorities concerned should be reprimanded and held accountable for the poor waste management, which has resulted in sprawling litter becoming ubiquitous for the ‘Smart City.’ A business-like approach needs to be followed, with the regularisation of sanitation workers, and fixation of their duties for specific wards, including distribution of green, blue, black dustbins (waste segregation), separate collection of plastic waste. Plantation on hitherto dumping sites, penalising defaulters, awareness drives must be also undertaken. The nonchalant residents discard the household, construction, garden refuse on the roads of the streets/alleys, thoroughfares, blocking the commutation space, but it can be attributed greatly to the administration’s passivity in acting sternly against the violators. In a nutshell, the district officials must gauge the disgusting scenario, and do their job!

ANSHIKA KOHLI

Govt appears to be in deep slumber

This is a hard fact that the local authorities have miserably failed to ensure proper management of city garbage and maintenance of sanitation of even minimum level and this is happening for the last many years in spite of public outcry and media coverage on the subject. The city, once known as the most beautiful city of Punjab, is turning into the dirtiest one. It is high time that people are held accountable and punished in a time-bound manner. The state government too appears to be in a deep slumber over the issue which is lingering for the last so many years. With AAP government installation, it was generally expected that the quality of local administration especially in city cleanliness and garbage disposal management will improve but unfortunately nothing happened like that so far and the residents are left to groan with sheer helplessness only.

JAGDISH CHANDER

Create effective garbage mgmt plan

The city authorities need to create an effective garbage management plan. This should include garbage collection, segregation, recycling, and proper disposal of waste. Those living in the city need to be made aware of the importance of garbage management and the correct way to dispose of the garbage. The authorities should run awareness campaigns to educate and motivate people to dispose of their garbage properly without any harm to environment. Authorities should have a proper plan for garbage collection throughout the city and it needs to be followed strictly. The authorities should impose strict penalties, such as fines or legal action, for those who create litter in their surroundings or do not follow rules and regulations by city managers.

Karanjot Singh

MC responsible for poor waste mgmt

The Municipal Corporations are responsible for bad management of garbage. Though safai karamcharis lift the garbage regularly, the increasing quantity of waste and shortage of dumps have troubled residents. Earlier, there a garbage dump was on the 66 ft road. Soon another one came up on Kapurthala Road. If the Municipal Corporation (MC) officials can’t select areas, conversion of garbage to fertilisers can really change the situation. It is for the Local Body Minister and MC officials to sort out a plan. We should refrain from blame game and work towards waste management. Political leaders and social organisations should come forward with suggestions for find out a permanent solution.

RAJAT KUMAR MOHINDRU

ULBs ill-equipped to handle problem

Unfortunately, most urban local bodies (ULBs) lack adequate infrastructure, financial resources, administrative stability, institutional capacity, and political willpower to manage the garbage effectively. The problem arises mainly due to frequent transfers of officials, political interferences, shortage of sweepers, and unresolved grievances of contractual sweepers such as job regularisation and payment as per the Minimum Wages Act. Authorities have failed to hire alternative workers, deploy machinery to clear the garbage, enforce the rules and regulations regarding waste management, and penalise or prevent people from littering and dumping debris or garbage in parks, streets, and public places. The lack of public etiquette or initiative to motivate the residents to supply segregated garbage at the source also aggravated the problem. Nothing significant has been done for the disposal of huge mountain-like garbage dumps in most of the cities. Consequently, many landfills in cities are overburdened, unscientifically managed, and located near densely populated areas like the one near Waryana in Jalandhar city.

Dr Kulwant Singh Phull

Devise waste disposal, collection system

Many erstwhile posh areas of Jalandhar and many parts of Punjab are now turning into slums and mountains of debris have come up at many places. This is primarily due to the absence of an efficient waste management system in the area and the relocation of below-average earners in search of a better lifestyle. This undeniably points out that the city and the state administration need to take this matter seriously before it is too late. Slums are often the result of rapid urbanisation and migration to cities to live a better life. For example, without a solid waste management plant, nearly seven lakh tonne of garbage piled up at the Wariana dump, which receives 500 tonne of waste every day. Poor people settle near or even in that dump, leading to formation of slums. The main reason the hovel happens is because of careless garbage management and a lack of a place to live. The government should devise a garbage disposal and collection system to ensure that all waste is being recorded and disposed of accordingly, resulting in sanitation in areas to reside. Along with this, the state should also provide shelter and permanent settlement homes to poor people. This might be a lengthy way but not impossible for the administration as they want to make Punjab a better place to live.

Lakshit Jindal

Authorities must take bold steps

Neither the state government nor the municipal corporation is doing anything worthwhile to manage garbage and shift dumps to some other places. The Wariana dump is a classic example of mismanagement. The roads from Garha to the Jalandhar bus stand are in a bad shape. Commuters often get injured in accidents caused due to deep potholes. The state government and municipal corporation should do something serious to help people of Jalandhar and other towns also.

Dr JS Wadhwa

Residents must keep surroundings clean

In cities, the onerous task to segregate and dispose of garbage is assigned to local bodies. As there is a colossal increase in the domestic waste with the rise in population, accordingly some initiative has been taken by the authorities to replace manual cleaning by mechanical sweeping. However, any such move faces stiff opposition from safai workers who apprehend loss of jobs. Thus the conditions are quite deplorable since even the prominent places, roadsides and street corners have become garbage dumps due to the apathy of safai sewaks and carelessness of the officials. A lot more needs to be done to manage the domestic waste using scientific ways that involves collection, transportation, processing, recycling, treatment, and disposal of the waste material appropriately. It is also the duty of residents to keep surroundings neat and clean to lead a disease-free life. Therefore, all households should be advised to segregate dry and wet waste.

Nirmaljit Singh Chatrath

QUESTION

The air quality has started deteriorating just before the beginning of winter. Shouldn’t the government review the existing air quality monitors and vehicular pollution to prevent environment crisis in peak winters?

Suggestions in not more than 200 words can be sent to jalandhardesk@tribunemail.com by Thursday (October 12)