FOUL STENCH EMANATING FROM PILE OF GARBAGE

FOUL STENCH EMANATING FROM PILE OF GARBAGE

13-JULY-ENG 4

RAJIV NAYAN AGRAWAL

ARA--------------------------Residents are finding life miserable due to the foul stench emanating from a massive, ever-growing pile of garbage at the Sheeshmahal Chowk (Old Tamtam Padav) site under the Ara Municipal Corporation—an accumulation that remained uncleared as of 4 PM on Sunday.

Pedestrians face significant difficulty navigating the area; a mountain of trash occupies one side of the road, while the remaining 6-7 feet of space is choked by encroachments from roadside vendors—obstructions that seem invisible to passersby and officials alike. It appears that the Municipal Commissioner, City Manager, Mayor, MLA-cum-Minister, MP, and the District Magistrate (Bhojpur) have all gone on leave, allowing the situation to spiral out of control, despite the fact that every municipal ward has a supervisor and a team of 13 to 15 (or more) sanitation workers.

These observations were made in a press statement by Amardeep Kumar Jai, a social activist and former independent candidate for the Ara Assembly constituency.

In every ward under the corporation, a four-wheeled garbage vehicle operates, playing a jingle with lyrics like "Dump the garbage here" and "Don't throw trash around"; however, the vehicle speeds past while merely playing this tune.

There is no designated garbage disposal or dumping site within the Ara Municipal Corporation limits, leading to trash being dumped haphazardly in the open along roadsides.

Although the corporation comprises 45 wards, there are no designated garbage sites, signage, or information boards, despite the corporation having an annual budget exceeding ₹7.5 billion.

While designated collection points exist for various toll taxes within the corporation, no schedule has been fixed for garbage disposal or collection. Consequently, despite consistently paying taxes, residents are denied a clean environment—a situation caused by the flawed policies of a Municipal Commissioner with a poor mindset.

When the posts of Mayor and Deputy Mayor were reserved for women under the roster system, the people of Ara hoped that a woman would maintain the city just as she would keep her own home clean and tidy; however, that expectation... Despite having ample budget and resources—and even with a female Municipal Commissioner at the helm—BUIDCO is failing to properly execute drainage system work to keep the roads and lanes of Ara city free from mud, silt, and sand, even during light rains.

Drain cleaning operations by the Ara Municipal Corporation never reach completion; cleaning is done haphazardly in scattered locations, and the removed waste is simply dumped by the roadside, only to wash back into the drains shortly after during the rainy season.

The Municipal Commissioner and City Manager never inspect the cleanliness of the wards; had such inspections been conducted periodically, the city's appearance would have been vastly different.

The Corporation has set no fixed schedule for garbage collection, nor are the sanitation workers under the supervision of any specific official.

The Ara Municipal Corporation should simply be handed over to a private agency, effectively abolishing positions such as Mayor, Ward Councilor, and Municipal Commissioner.