DALMIANAGAR PLAGUED WITH FILTH AND FOUL ODOURS

DALMIANAGAR PLAGUED WITH FILTH AND FOUL ODOURS

10-AUG-ENG 4

RAJIV NAYAN AGRAWAL

SASARAM-------------------------There was a time when Dalmianagar was known across Asia for its industrial prowess. Units producing cement, paper, Dalda, fiber, Ashok soap, sugar, and asbestos all operated within the same complex. There were large playgrounds for employees' children, as well as vegetable and rice markets and a marketplace stocked with all kinds of goods. Today, however, that very market has turned into a ruin.

During the rainy season, the market becomes surrounded by stagnant dirty water and heaps of garbage. The stench rising from the drains is so overpowering that it has become difficult for people to pass through the area. Even to purchase essential items, people are forced to navigate through the filth. Sridhar Pandey, a local elder, states, "There is no sanitation system here. Neither the sanitation workers from the Dehri-Dalmianagar Municipal Council nor those from the company ever visit. Even though we pay shop rent to the company, nothing is done regarding cleanliness. Due to the filth, customers no longer come here to make purchases."

The foundation of Rohtas Industries Limited was laid in 1933 with a sugar mill. Ramkrishna Dalmia transformed it into an industrial township spanning 3,800 acres. The company shut down in 1984 due to financial scandals and labor unrest, and the area has remained desolate ever since.

While there is talk of the government auctioning the land and attracting new industrial investment, the situation of the market on the ground remains unchanged. Shopkeepers and local residents are demanding that the Municipal Council and relevant departments immediately improve sanitation arrangements to save this historic market before disease spreads.