Swachhata goes for toss at Ludhiana MC headquarters

Even as the municipal corporation (MC) is working towards obtaining a better ranking in Swachh Survekshan-2022, ironically, its own headquarters is in a filthy state.

The defunct fountain area, in the passage to the multi-storey parking from MC Zone-A office, is filled with filth and garbage and officials and the parking contractor have been passing the buck on the responsibility for cleaning the area. MC officials claim that it is the responsibility of the contractor, while the contractor says that the MC has to do it as it is outside the parking lot.

The area has been lying in dilapidated condition for years and has become a breeding ground for mosquitoes during the rainy season. But, MC officials and the parking contractor. Intriguingly, MC has painted slogans/messages to encourage swachhta on walls in the area, but has itself failed to put it into practice. An MC official, requesting anonymity, said that pipes of the fountain are also rusty as they have been lying defunct for years now.

A shopkeeper in Chaura Bazar, Ravneet Singh, said that the area presents a filthy look and they have never seen anyone cleaning the area. Rain water gets accumulated, garbage is dumped in the pit and foul smell also spreads in the area. “As it becomes a breeding ground for mosquitoes, there is always a threat of dengue and other mosquito-borne diseases in the area during the rainy season. If MC does not clean the area, then the pit should be filled with sand or atleast be covered. Challans are issued to residents for littering and dumping waste in the open, but there is no one to discipline the erring officials, who have even failed to keep their own headquarters clean,” said Singh.

MC zonal commissioner Jasdev Sekhon said that a proposal has already been made to remove the defunct fountain and establish a seating area by filling the pit. It will be a costly affair to repair the fountain which is lying defunct for years. Also, its maintenance will again arise as an issue.

It is expected that the third party hired by the ministry of housing and urban affairs will reach the city within a week to conduct field inspections under SS -2022. The ranking of the industrial town is expected to further slip this year, as the MC has failed to even hire a solid waste management contractor for over a year. Even as the city dropped five spots and was ranked 39 out of 48 cities across the country last year, MC is still lagging behind on the majority of the fronts.