Despite MC’s tall claims, garbage heaps dot Hoshiarpur

Despite tall claims of the municipal corporation to clean the city under the ongoing cleanliness drive, the city is yet to get rid of garbage scattered at several places for which residents of the city are also responsible. They keep on throwing garbage at the corners of the streets, on the roadside and even outside the garbage dump yards. Not only this, hundreds of plots are turned into garbage spots.

For a population of around 3 lakh spread across 50 wards, the city has only around 400 sanitation workers with only half of them (around 250) on regular job. Some time ago, 196 sanitation workers were hired but 22 of them have left the job. No regular recruitment of sanitation workers has been done since 2012.

The sanitation workers were suffering as there was much workload with many wards having 3 or 4 workers only. As the hired workers are getting a meagre salary of around Rs 11,000 only, they are leaving the job. Despite working to their full capacity, the corporation finds it difficult to keep the city clean.

There were four garbage dump yards in the city - Bahadurpur opposite to Ganja School, second one at Chandigarh road opposite DAV College, third at the Food Street and fourth in Model Town. More than a year ago, the corporation had planned to remove the dump yards, but even after a year only two of these could be removed from Model Town and Food Street.

Although corporation officials say that these two dump yards are emptied regularly and there is no garbage scattered outside these dump yards, the situation on the ground is quite different. Residents of these areas keep complaining of the problems caused by the garbage scattered on road and the foul smell emanating out of these dump yards, making them suffer continuously.

A resident of Ganja School area, Dr Manmohan Singh, secretary Shiv Sena (UBT), said, “We have been complaining for long and everytime a false assurance is given but nothing happens.”

President of the Municipal Corporation’s Sanitation Workers Union Karanjot Adia and Safai Mazdoor Federation president Raja Hans said there were only 427 sanitation workers in the city while the requirement was of at least 750 with 15 sanitation workers every ward. If one worker went on leave, there was no one to take care of his work. There was also a requirement of 100 sewermen.

“We have given representations to recruit 200 more sanitation workers but nothing has been done,” said Karanjot.

MC Joint Commissioner Sandeep Tiwari said a special cleanliness drive was on in the city and the entry points of the city, various public places, offices and other places were cleaned. Two dump yards had been removed and the remaining two were being emptied daily before afternoon and it was ensured that no garbage was scattered outside these dump yards.

Mayor Surinder Kumar Shinda said there was a shortage of sanitation workers and the corporation was trying its best to meet the requirements. “We are planning to hire some more sanitation workers out of those who were on the waiting list during the last recruitment/hiring process,” said Shinda.