Jagraon residents want representatives to find solutions to civic issues in town

As politicians make a beeline for Jagraon ahead of the municipal council elections on February 14, residents are slamming the leaders for their apathy towards the problems of the town.

Among the many civic issues facing Jagraon, which has 23 wards and an annual budget allocation of ₹16 crore, residents say the most pressing issues are that of water accumulation, bad roads and open garbage dumps.

Surinder Singh, a shopkeeper in Kamal Chowk area, said, “Just an hour of rain is enough to get the entire town inundated. During such days, shopkeepers are forced to shut their shops as no customer is able to reach the market due to waterlogging.”

Sandeep, the owner of Malhotra telecom on Jagraon-Raikot road, raised the issue of poor quality of road construction. He said the construction of the main road leading to Raikot, has been lying incomplete for the past several years and furthermore, the potholes on the route often lead to accidents.

In Rani Jhansi Chowk area, the residents, especially shopkeepers, were irked by an open garbage dump. They say that besides being unhygienic, the dump attracts a lot of stray animals to area, adding to their woes. Shopkeepers of the area, Pankaj Sharma, Sunil Kumar and Raj Verma said that they, along with others, have been raising the issue for the last one year, but their complaints have fallen on deaf ears.

“The garbage is lifted in the afternoon and during that time, the foul smell spreads throughout the area. Movement of traffic is also disrupted when garbage is lifted. It also draws a lot of stray cattle to the area. We had also moved court on the issue and the court had ordered a stay in the matter, but the garbage dump has still not been removed,” said Sunil Kumar.

Despite several attempts to reach him, the municipal council’s executive officer Sanjay Bansal was not available.

Former council president (previous tenure) Charanjit Kaur (Congress) said she had taken several steps to improve the road infrastructure and drainage system in the town. “During my tenure as president, for around two years and three months, I had taken up projects worth crores for improving the road infrastructure and drainage system. Steps were also taken to improve solid waste management.”