Mosquitoes, malodorous surroundings part of lives of those living near Kala Sanghian drain in Jalandhar

Tribune News Service

Aakanksha N Bhardwaj

Jalandhar, May 8

“We are living in a hell. And no one is coming to save us from this hell,” rues a resident from Ratan Nagar. He lives near Kala Sanghian drain (ganda nala).

Cleanliness of the drain has always remained one of the biggest issues in the city. But it seems that officials have turned a blind eye towards the matter and they hardly care of the residents living nearby who have been suffering a lot.

Mosquitoes, overgrown weeds, unwanted reptiles and malodorous smell emanating from piles of garbage in the drain have become a part of their daily lives. The councillor of the Ward No. 78 has held several protests, wrote numerous letters to the authorities and have had lots of meetings with the MC officials, but to no avail. The drain covers Guru Nanak Nagar, New Guru Nanak Nagar, Ratan Nagar, Shiv Nagar are some of the areas in the ward.

The drain has not got cleaned in the last two years, claimed the councillor.

Archana Bala, a resident living in the area, said she cannot take both her children out because of the grave situation. Her home is right next to the drain which has made situation worse for her.

“Face of my 10-month-old daughter is filled with mosquito bite marks. The area we are living is so messy, unclean and smelly that it is not for her at all to grow in such an environment,” she said.

Archana Bala’s husband runs a small general store in the area. It is like a task for him to sit in his store all day long. “The smell is so bad that it seems impossible to work now,” he said.

Another resident Pawan Kumar owns a small stationary shop in the area. “Stagnant water in the drain has been troubling us. Snakes and other reptiles often come out and we cannot let our children play in the area,” he said.

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