Shifting of garbage dump: Residents, MLA hold protest

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, August 19

Jalandhar Cantonment MLA Pargat Singh today participated in a dharna against the Municipal Corporation along with Congress councillor of Ward No. 28 Balraj Thakur. 

Addressing a gathering of residents of the Green Model Town area over the issue of shifting of garbage dumping in front of the cremation ground there, Pargat said, “People have lost faith in the Municipal Corporation. Even I have no hopes from it.” The MLA went on to threaten the officials of the MC saying, “I will hold and lead another dharna if the dumping site is not be shifted in a week’s time”.

Earlier too, Pargat targeted his party’s own Mayor Jagdish Raja criticising him publicly during election rallies in May this year for doing nothing for the city. “We got him appointed as the Mayor and we ourselves are now repenting,” he said.

In the last Assembly session, Pargat had even spoken against the functioning of the Sports Department causing embarrassment to Punjab Sports Minister Rana Gurmeet Sodhi. Notably, Pargat is the protégé of ex-minister Navjot Sidhu, who resigned from the Cabinet showing his dissent against his government for changing his portfolio.

Today’s dharna went on for nearly two hours in which councillor Thakur said his government had become insensitive towards the people’s problems. The councillor, along with the residents, raised slogans against the Municipal Corporation. They said because of this problem, life had become miserable in the area was becoming difficult for them. Thakur said the issue of shifting the dump had been raised a number of times, but to no avail.

“In every House meeting and other meetings, I have raised the issue, but no one has ever paid heed tothe problem,” the councillor said, adding that the dump had become a nuisance.

The residents said the dump should not be near the cemetery because there was a high footfall in this area and it did not look nice. Councillor Thakur said as residents from other wards also threw their waste here, it posed a threat of health problems to the residents living in the areas. The area residents said the dump was home to all the diseases and due to the foul smell in the area, everyone usually avoided coming here. MC Commissioner Diprava Lakra reached the spot and listened to the residents and the councillor.

The Congress-led Municipal Corporation has been drawing flak from everyone for being incompetent in providing basic amenities here for the last two years. Almost every day, the party’s own councillors have been opening debates and raising issues related to poor civic amenities that have been troubling the residents..