Ludhiana bizmen rue use of vacant plots for dumping garbage

The lifting of garbage has become a major civic concern in the city. Not only are heaps of garbage visible alongside roads and in residential areas, but the industrialists at the city’s focal points too are grappling with the issue of non-lifting of waste by the municipal corporation (MC) sanitation staff. Despite being among the highest taxpayers in the state, industrialists rue that basic civic amenities remain grossly inadequate.

Talking to The Tribune, Pankaj Sharma, president of the Association of Trade and Industrial Undertakings (ATIU), said that garbage disposal had turned into a persistent headache for the industry. “Safai karamcharis employed with the MC are seen only during festivals such as Diwali or Dussehra. For the rest of the year, they are hardly seen cleaning the roads or lifting waste from factories,” he said.

“We pay maximum taxes, be it property tax, income tax or GST, yet we get minimal facilities. Domestic waste remains unattended as no one comes to collect it. Industrialists are left with no option, but to dump it in open parks or vacant plots. Many have even hired private workers at their own expense to get garbage lifted,” Sharma added.

The ATIU recently held a meeting to highlight the deteriorating condition of civic amenities at the focal points, Ludhiana — one of Punjab’s largest industrial hubs. Members expressed concern over the absence of a proper solid waste management system and the poor upkeep of roads and sewerage infrastructure.

Industrialists maintained that every unit, irrespective of size, has to handle its domestic waste independently. In the absence of an organised waste disposal system, garbage ends up on roadsides or vacant plots. They also alleged complete apathy of the MC towards cleaning and maintenance of the area.

Anil Sachdeva, senior vice-president of ATIU, said, “In my 35 years of operations at Focal Point, I have hardly ever seen a sweeper cleaning the roads. We are compelled to maintain cleanliness ourselves — individually or through ATIU’s own arrangements.”

Sanjay Gupta, another industrialist, said that several sewer lines in the area remain permanently choked. “We have to pay the same MC sewer workers privately after duty hours to get the sewer ines cleaned — the same people who neglect their duties during official hours,” he alleged.

“There is not even a single day’s concession for industrial units in case of delayed tax payments. However, there seems to be no binding on the government to provide the basic civic amenities that are rightfully taxpayers’ due,” Sharma added.