College road stinks, residents fume

Lovleen Bains

Doraha, September 9

Students, bank employees, staff of various establishments, residents and passers-by curse the Municipal Council (MC) authorities which have failed to provide a permanent solution for the problem of stinking garbage on the college road. Their day begins with stink, filth and dirt, but the council gives two hoots to this genuinely pathetic state of affairs.

Finance secretary of a local college PPS Pangli complained, “Domestic garbage is the prime responsibility of the local municipal authorities. Garbage stinking in grain market and road side, leading to prime educational institutions, is like a scar on the council’s functioning. The council has failed to address the problem of the residents which is now resulting in filth and foul smell, apart from making them fall a prey to various viral and infectious diseases.”

“The college road, from where a majority of students and staff of various educational institutions and bank employees pass, has become impassable. The main market road, on which the heap has been created, creates a messy situation early in the morning. On one side the traffic accumulates due to the regular official hours around 9, on the other the garbage lifting vehicle, standing on the middle of the road, makes the situation worse,” shared President of Pensioners’ Association Pawan Kumar Kaushal.

“The residents curse the council employees and threaten to hold protest against the authorities, but the civic body looks the other way. It seems that the issue of cleanliness has taken a back seat in this town. Timely lifting is just a momentary relief and that too when the issue is raised through the media,” shared Jandeep, a resident.

“The employees lift the garbage as per their convenience and comfort. Moreover, nobody bothers to lift it on Sundays since they too enjoy a holiday, while on other hand, the town reels under the obnoxious smell of garbage and the mess created by stray animals, by pulling and pushing it in all possible directions on the adjoining roads,” he added.

“Every problem has a definite and permanent solution, but only at the council’s will. The garbage dump can be easily shifted to a place where it does not sound as obnoxious and irritable as this particular spot from where half of the population of the town passes,” rued Chairman of the Doraha Welfare Association Arun Bector.

Executive officer of the Municipal Council of Doraha Sukhdev Singh when informed about the sorry state of affairs expressed, “I have already asked sweepers to lift the garbage and the needful has been done. Very shortly, we will begin the process of segregation by way of which the issue of dumps shall be resolved on its own.”