Filth, stench and cattle
Tribune News Service

PANCHKULA, Dec 26 — The apni mandi held every Saturday in the open space in Sector 14 has made the place a haven for stray cattle and a source of stench of rotten vegetables.

Residents of houses facing the ground say while Saturdays are a mess, what vegetable sellers leave behind is worse. Cows and buffaloes have made the ground "a home away from home". These wallow in the slush and enjoy the sun during winters. The herds arrive after sunrise and leave after sunset, while stray ones stay on.

The ground is littered with plastic bags, which make their way into lanes of houses facing the ground. Residents add that when the gate is left open by a visitor, cattle make themselves comfortable at the doorstep. They say the place is a source of foul smell and it is cleaned a day before the next mandi is held.

One resident says, "The place is cleared of leaves and polythene bags but it does not make any difference. The refuse is dumped in a corner or in the adjoining bushes. We are never relieved of the bad smell."

Another resident adds, "Earlier we considered apni mandi a boon since we did not have to go anywhere. Now it has become the sole cause of our problems and we are forced to live this nightmare."

Though mandis are also held in sectors 8 and 16, the problem of filth is not acute. No houses face the ground where it is held in Sector 8. A place has been earmarked for it behind the commercial complex in Sector 16.

Work to clean road berms begins
Tribune News Service

PANCHKULA, Dec 26 —The Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA) has undertaken the work of "dressing up'' road berms on war footing and a working group of over 30 persons has been employed for the purpose.

The road berms in the entire township had become dumping grounds for residents, especially after an anti-encroachment drive was initiated by the department. The malba and hedges so removed by residents themselves, much before the department stepped in, had been dumped on road berms and at vacant plots. These were already a picture of neglect with over grown grass and weeds.

While the working group is initially concentrating on clearing road berms on the B-lanes of the sectors, the department will shift the focus of the drive to the internal lanes once it is through with work in all sectors.Initially, sectors 6 to 10 have been identified for the purpose and work is already on in sectors 6 and 7.

The department had, earlier, planned to clear up the road berms on either side only but the raised level of the berms proved a hindrance. Hence, it was decided to "dress up'' the road berms entirely.

Administrator of HUDA Abhilaksh Likhi, says,"The drive has been planned in a way to improve the overall cleanliness in the township. While work is on in the sectors identified for the purpose, a plan to clean up the remaining sectors will also be chalked out also.'' He informed that each sector had been allotted a specified sum for the purpose.

Residents, too, are elated with the development. One such resident opines,"The cleaning up drive was long overdue and everybody in our lane thought it would never happen. We will at last have the privilege of living in clean surroundings and enter the new millennium on a positive note.''

Meanwhile, the Estate Office has also issued notices to residents in sectors other than those cleared of encroachments, seeking removal of hedges and grills. Earlier, the department had cleared encroachments from corner plots in sectors 6 to 10 and submitted the report for the same.