With the civic body elections only a week away, the municipalities of Ahmedgarh, Amargarh and Malerkotla are feeling helpless due to their inability to clear stinking passages leading to potential polling stations.
None of the streets at these localities have been swept for a fortnight and almost all roads are covered with heaps of garbage. Government and private educational institutes, civic body offices and premises belonging to the Mandikaran Board are among the locations where the administration has little time to waste before preparing for the upcoming elections.
Civic bodies have acknowledged the situation and stated that it has arisen due to the ongoing state-level strike of the Safai Mazdoor Union. The recent round of talks between the state government and sanitation workers held on Monday failed as the sanitation workers decided to continue their agitation after being promised that their demands would be accepted after the election.
With the long-standing issue of solid waste management still unaddressed, the strike has made matters worse for civic authorities in the region. Office-bearers of the union have appealed to all sanitary workers, government and private, to not oblige residents by collecting garbage from their premises till the strike was called off.
Sanitary Superintendent Harpreet Singh said the administration was aware of the potential issues regarding provision of sanitary environments at and around premises that would potentially serve as polling stations. “Having received information about virtual closure of paths due to dumping of garbage near some educational institutes and potential polling stations, we plan to get dumps cleared from the vicinity of educational institutions on priority,” said Singh.
