Residents wait for new mayor as city faces plethora of civic issues

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Soon the city would get its new mayor. Several names for the post are already doing rounds, but whoever gets elected to the post would face numerous challenges after taking charge.

A lot of work has to be done on the ground level. Piles of garbage everywhere, overflowing sewage, non-working streetlights, poor roads and what not! New mayor would have to come out with a strategy to deal with the civic mess in the industrial town.

A team of The Tribune had recently visited four wards and found that residents were living amidst poor amenities. One of the areas which the correspondent visited was Basti Danishmanda that got its name because of the genius and intelligence of persons (referred to as Danishmands in Urdu) living here. Among them, a majority of residents are Muslims.

“Peeli Kothi” is a landmark of Basti Danishmanda. Residents said Basti Danishmanda was known for this kothi and everyone who comes from outside surely visits the place. People said one of the families of the Danishmands used to live in the kothi and the bungalow was the last proof of their existence. The area grapples with water, sewage and solid waste management and poor road issues. Ashwini Kumar, a resident, said all they want was clean water and good roads. “We don’t ask for jobs, but for basic amenities,” he said.

Apart from this, the major challenge that last mayor Jagdish Raja faced was opposition from officials of the Municipal Corporation (MC), who never listened to him and even walked out of the ongoing General House meeting once just because mayor questioned them regarding incomplete civic works. This happened for the first time in the history of the MC House.

Mayor Jagdish Raja also shared his disappointment with officials for not listening to him. A lot of expectations, questions and challenges await for whoever sits on the mayor’s chair.