Civic amenities elude Ward 24 residents

Satinder Pal Singh

Zirakpur, January 11

Residents of Ward No. 24 alleged that the Municipal Council authorities and the councillor were paying least attention towards developing basic amenities in the ward.

Poor condition of roads, absence of drainage system, waterlogging, non-functional street lights and dumping of garbage in the open are the major problems in Ward No. 24.

Ward No. 24 is represented by Nachhattar Singh, who is also the vice-president of the Municipal Council, Zirakpur. He was elected unopposed in the last MC elections. The ward comprises of Victoria City, Shiva Enclave, Mannat Enclave, Kushal Enclave, Ansal Woodbury, Astha Apartments and a few areas of Swastik Vihar.

During a visit to the ward, it was found that roads in Victoria City were lying in a deplorable state. People living nearby say the roads have not been repaired since long. Residents alleged that due to broken roads, rainwater often accumulates outside their houses, inconveniencing commuters.

Nitin Kumar, a resident of Victoria City, bemoaned the poor condition of roads in his locality, saying that corporation officials had turned a blind eye to this nagging problem.

Besides broken roads, area residents also rue lack of drainage system in the locality. MC officials are yet to begin the work of laying drainage pipes. Suresh, a resident, alleged that every time they apprised MC officials of the problem, they give false assurances that the work would begin soon but nothing had been done to date.

During a visit to Shiva Enclave, it was found that streets were dug up for laying sewerage pipes. So far, the streets were not re-carpeted. Slush on streets makes commuting difficult for two-wheeler riders and increases chances of accidents, alleged Balwinder Kaur, an area resident.

The residents said 4 to 5 cases of theft had been reported in the past from the locality. They demanded night patrolling by the police in the area.

Foul smell emanating from the garbage dumped near the entrance to Mannat Enclave continues to be a major problem for residents. Stench emanating from the uncovered garbage strewn all around in the open here has made the lives of residents miserable.

Residents said the foul smell had increased after the recent rain and alleged that the authorities failed to put in a proper system to collect and dispose of garbage being generated from the houses of the nearby areas.

Residents of Swastik Vihar alleged lack of sewer connectivity in the ward. Rabindra Batta, a resident of Swastik Vihar, said sewer had been laid in a few lanes only. MC officials and the area councillor did not carry out development works as expected by the residents.

Another resident on condition of anonymity said the condition of roads was pathetic here.

Area councillor Nachhattar Singh claimed that he had carried out enough development works in his ward. Claiming that during his tenure as an area councillor, three tube wells and seven transformers had been installed in the ward. Work of sewer pipelines had been done, while re-carpeting of streets was in process, which, he said, would be completed on a timely basis.

The area councillor said he had been apprised of the problems and efforts were on to solve them one by one.