Garbage brazenly dumped at sweepers’ whim

While the municipal corporation (MC) and A2Z group have been carrying out cleanliness drives in various areas of the city, they have failed to check dumping of garbage near Dholewal Chowk. Besides, garbage has not been lifted for the past two days from the 200-metre stretch, thereby becoming a huge nuisance for passersby, besides posing a health hazard.

Residents claim that sweepers usually unload garbage and block the road without taking permission from the authorities concerned. As a result, commuters are forced to take an alternate route, leading to traffic jams.

However, despite repeated reminders, civic officials have yet to do anything about it.

Area residents have also complained garbage is dumped haphazardly at the site, blocking the adjacent streets, which leads to interminable traffic jams as vehicles have to be diverted. Sweepers on the other hand claim residents of other areas, including Gill Road, routinely throw their trash near Dholewal Chowk as a result of which they find it tough to remove the mounting heaps of garbage.

Mahinder, a resident, said, “Heaps of garbage lying uncollected has become a common sight in the city.

The local civic body should lift the garbage on time as it may spread various diseases.”

Meanwhile, shopkeepers from the area also expressed that there was a need to provide two machines to lift the garbage on a permanent basis. The stretch further connects to old GT road.

Surinder Singh, one of the shopkeepers, said, “We cannot bear the smell and the unhygienic conditions here. It leads to a lot of chaos when the road is blocked. Instead of adopting a careless attitude, the MC should shift the dump from Dholewal Chowk. It seems as if the MC authorities have forgotten about the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan.”

An employee of A2Z said, “We have not given permission to anyone to block the road. In fact the garbage is usually lifted on a regular basis.”

On the other hand, a sweeper, said, “The garbage is not lifted from dump on time due to which it spills over on to the streets. We are forced to block the road at times.”

BPS Chauhan, vice-president of A2Z, said, “I will send machines to remove garbage from the area.”