Public health in Lahore

A complete lack of consideration for public health on the part of the Municipal Committee of Lahore is revealed by certain comparative statements that have been prepared for the enlightenment of our city fathers. It appears that while the population in the city has gone up by something like 20,000 since 1911, the strength of the supervising staff in the Public Health Department has been reduced from seven in 1909 to two in 1924, while the number of Jamadars has fallen from forty-two to thirty-six. Again, in the civil station, while the population has doubled, the supervising staff has gone down from five in 1909 to two in 1924. Even the number of conservancy carts has not kept pace with the increase in population, with the result that today it is hopelessly inadequate to meet the growing demand for the removal of filth. Nor has any account been taken of the extension that has taken place in the municipal limits during the same period. And this process of starving one of the most important departments under the municipal administration is not the result of any fall in the income of the municipality or the necessary consequence of a general policy of retrenchment adopted and pursued by the committee. For instance, while during the last five years, expenditure on conservancy has been cut down by Rs 46,000 (including a cut of Rs 12,000 during the last year alone), the income of the municipality has gone up by Rs two lacs. Constituted as the present municipality is, it is not possible to foretell whether it will or will not revise its decisions relating to the allotment of money for this much-neglected department.

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