Roads at SBS Nagar become dumping sites

Kuldip Bhatia

Ludhiana, March 18

Thanks to poor maintenance and lack of supervision by the field staff of the Ludhiana Improvement Trust (LIT), roads, streets and other vacant sites in its so-called posh colony, Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar, spread over 475 acres, have become dumping grounds for garbage, malba and other waste material.

Residents of D Block of the colony complain that certain contractors, who undertake work for demolition of old buildings, or even residents of other adjoining localities, were dumping debris at several vacant sites, and at times, even along the roads and streets of the colony despite opposition by the local residents.

Atul Sharma, a resident of D Block, said several trailer-loads of debris were dumped all along the roads and streets, right in front of the residential area of the colony today. “When confronted, the labour and trailer driver said they were government employees. When asked about it, the LIT officials denied that they had given permission to anyone or had asked their labour to dump debris on the roadside,” said Sharma.

According to residents, last month also, the labour deployed by LIT for clearing debris from roadside and streets in the colony, had dumped the material on a nearby vacant site which was got vacated by the Trust authorities from encroachers a couple of weeks ago. “The site is earmarked for development as a residential complex and work is said to be taken in hand very soon. In such a case, dumping waste material and debris on this site is beyond comprehension,” the residents added.

The area residents said the condition of sanitation, including regular sweeping of roads and streets in the colony, was nothing to write home about. In such a pathetic scenario, dumping malba, garbage or other material along the roads and streets or even at vacant sites around the residential areas, was a health hazard and threat to general cleanliness and public hygiene, which must be curbed effectively, they added.

Officials of LIT said they had received a complaint and were looking into it. “Necessary steps are being taken to stop this practice and action under provisions of the Punjab Town Improvement Act would be taken against the offenders,” said an official.