Shimla, June 16: Notwithstanding the tall claims of the success of the Swachh Bharat Mission, the door-to-door garbage collection scheme of the Shimla Municipal Corporation has failed to make a mark. Heaps of garbage and nullahs filled with polythene are a common site at several places in the capital town.“Garbage piled up at many places, including green areas and Flowerdale near the state secretariat, tell a different story.
The door-to-door garbage collection is a farce,” said Harish Sharma, a resident of Flowerdale. “The Shimla Municipal Corporation is going to the polls tomorrow. Generally, the government and the administration swing into action during the elections and listen to public grievances, but the situation is different here.
The indifference on the part of the authorities is clearly evident as there is no effort to get the garbage removed,” he added. “There is no difference between the Congress, the BJP and the CPM as all seek votes before the elections, but lend a deaf ear to voters once elected.
How can a sitting candidate even approach voters when the situation of the city is so pathetic,” said Rakesh Kumar, a resident of Kanlog. Heaps of garbage could be seen in Sanjauli, Summer Hill, Chakker, Boileauganj, Krishna Nagar, Bamloe and several other areas in the town.“After the announcement of the SMC elections, garbage is being collected on the fourth day and at times we have to call the person concerned to pick garbage,” said Nisha, a resident of Chakker.
There are three schools in the locality, two private and one government, and garbage is scattered in the open on the road from where the schoolchildren commute. There have been incidents of monkeys and stray animals feasting on garbage and the risk of attacks by monkeys are high.“
The cleanliness drive is confined mainly to central areas of the town and most of the nullahs have turned into garbage dumps. Generally, garbage is washed away in the swollen nullahs during rains. Perhaps the MC is waiting for the natural clearance of garbage,” said Anmol Chauhan, a resident.
Source Tribune India
