Dumpyard on Boparai road irks Doraha residents

Heaps of garbage scattered at a dump on the Boparai road in Doraha are not just eyesores but have also become a hub of infectious diseases for people. Residents, whose pleas, reminders and warnings to the authorities concerned have yielded no results, are left to endure the situation.

While the locals are fed up with the dirt and filth they encounter each day, the municipal authorities have nothing to say. The situation is all the more concerning as the dump is near a local school and poses a threat to students. The road also leads to three other educational institutions, and a majority of the students and staff have to pass through the dump each morning.

Karamveer Singh, chairman, Shri Guru Harkishan Public School, told this correspondent that they had informed the council about this issue a number of times, but to no avail. “The garbage is lifted only to be dumped again at the site. None, but we know what we have been enduring for years,” he said.

Barjinder Jandu, a resident of Doraha, said, “It has been years, but now the situation has gone out of control, as we are unable to breathe because of the stench. The Boparai road dump continues to stare the residents in the face. It is cleared only as per the whims and fancies of the council employees.”

Khushal Jaggi, another resident, complained, “It seems that the issue of cleanliness has taken a back seat in this town as the authorities concerned are not bothered about ensuring cleanliness. As far as the Boparai road is concerned, the administration seems to have abandoned it completely. We sometimes feel that the road does not fall under the jurisdiction of the council because of the manner in which it is neglected. It is excluded from the list of cleanliness drives being initiated at other spots.”

Joginder Kirti, still another resident, said that the council had never spared a thought to clean the Boparai road, which remained in a state of utter neglect. “The dump should be shifted from here as it is adjoining a school where kids can contract ailments. The mosquitoes and flies that sit on the garbage in the dump then also go and sit on the belongings of the kids. Also, with no clean environment around, how can the children grow up to be healthy?” he questioned.

Vishnu Dutt, a municipal official, said the residents were right to some extent. He said it was a secondary dump, and garbage had to be dumped there. “But we make it a point to lift it daily so the accumulation may not be an eyesore for the residents. The dump is also covered with sheets, but residents litter the area themselves and then blame the council for the mess. A council employee guards the area to stop people from dumping garbage there, but the residents turn a deaf ear to him, making their own surroundings unhealthy.”