Open littering near Malerkotla roads pose health & safety risks

The roads connecting Malerkotla, the youngest and smallest district of Punjab, to nearby cities are increasingly littered with heaps of garbage, including non-biodegradable disposables and leftover food, creating an eyesore for passersby and posing significant health risks for humans and grazing animals.

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Marriage palaces, hotels, restaurants, dhabas, and roadside kiosks are frequently dumping trash along the highways connecting Malerkotla to Sangrur, Patiala, Raikot, Khanna, and Ludhiana. Commuters also contribute to the growing problem, discarding garbage along the roads. In some cases, garbage collectors even empty their vehicles at these sites.

Solid waste management has always remained an uphill task for the administration, and those violating the guidelines of the Swachh Bharat Mission, such as the ban on stocking, transportation, sale, and use of single-use plastics, face action by authorities in various departments, including Urban and Rural local bodies.

However, owners and managers of establishments situated along roads and highways often go scot-free after violating instant government instructions regarding proper disposal of solid wastes in general and non-biodegradable materials in particular.

Though senior functionaries in various departments acknowledged that roadside litter has emerged as a growing problem during the past decades, none came forward to accept it as the responsibility of their department.

Sarpanches and presidents of civic bodies of the region have regretted that no complaint against any of the violators had ever been lodged with either of the authorities.

“Though the issue is occasionally highlighted by some enthusiasts on social media, none of the authorities was ever found to have taken suo motu of the menace associated with social, economic, and environmental issues,” said Prabhdeep Singh Grewal, a Zila Parishad member.

He also regretted that officials of PWD and the forest department remained silent spectators towards the dumping of environmental pollutants.

Some types of roadside litter were also suspected to interrupt the flow of traffic and pose a safety hazard to road users.