Vexed traders apprise MLA of poor sanitation

Neeraj Bagga

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, August 20

Members of the District Shopping Centre Association, in its general body meeting held, raised the issue of poor sanitation with MLA Sunil Dutti on Monday. They said the District Shopping Centre, Ranjit Avenue, had been a witness to such a situation for long.

Sanjay Vasudeva, general secretary of the association, said the centre was one of the costliest commercial areas in the city. High footfall of people in its 128 buildings generate huge amount of garbage. However, irregular garbage lifting leads to accumulation of waste. He said the problem was brought to the notice of the Amritsar Improvement Trust several times but its officials washed off their hands, citing that it no longer was under its jurisdiction.

Rajinder Singh Sidhu, owner of a commercial building, said the centre was designed as one of the best planned and spacious commercial areas with ample parking spaces, green belts, pedestrian paths. The complex houses several upscale hotels, restaurants, showrooms, offices and other commercial units, providing livelihood to lakhs of people.

Sidhu said proprietors of these buildings pay property tax and others taxes to the Municipal Corporation (MC). In return, the civic authority do not maintain it, he lamented.

Jatinder Arora, another building owner, said there were couple of rainwater harvesting systems installed in the here but spillover of clogged sewer polluted it.

MLA Sunil Dutti said he would direct the MC to ensure daily lifting of garbage from the shopping centre.