NO PROPER ARRANGEMENT FOR DUMPING GARBAGE DESPITE SPENDING Rs. 24 LAKH PER MONTH

NO PROPER ARRANGEMENT FOR DUMPING GARBAGE DESPITE SPENDING Rs. 24 LAKH PER MONTH

5-SEP-ENG 8

RAJIV NAYAN AGRAWAL

ARA----------------------------The foul smell arising from the garbage dumped at the main gate of the garbage processing unit located near Nagar Sarkar Bhawan, Bihiya has made the life of local residents difficult. Not only the inhabited areas, but also the workers going to MNREGA office and Block Development Officer (BDO) office have to face this unbearable smell.

Local citizens expressed health concerns and submitted an application to the Sanitation Officer in the Nagar Panchayat office to remove the garbage. Citizens expressed their disappointment on this issue. In response, Sanitation Officer Abhishek Raj mentioned his limited role.

It is noteworthy that there is no designated place available for dumping garbage in Bihiya Nagar Panchayat, yet an amount of more than Rs 24 lakh is withdrawn every month in the name of cleaning the city. Reportedly, a significant portion of this amount, around Rs 8 lakh, is spent on the maintenance of the waste processing unit.

While organic manure is claimed to be produced from the waste, information regarding its sale and revenue is unavailable. Nagar vice-president Vijay Kumar Gupta has expressed concern over the lack of transparency. Currently, the Nagar Panchayat executive officer is on leave, hampering administrative work.

Problem of garbage dumping: Garbage is being dumped at the main gate of the garbage processing unit, causing foul smell in the surrounding area. People fear health-related problems due to this.

Lack of transparency in sanitation contracts: More than Rs 24 lakh is spent every month for cleaning the town, yet there is no proper arrangement for garbage dumping. This contract has been given to the same agency for several years.

Inaction of officials: Sanitation officer Abhishek Raj described himself as only a ‘nominal’ official, which shows that he is not capable of solving the problem. Apart from this, the executive officer of the Nagar Panchayat has been on leave for a long time, due to which the work is getting affected.

Questions on waste processing unit: It is claimed that organic fertilizer is made from waste in the unit, but no information is given about the income from its production and sale. Nagar Vice President Vijay Kumar Gupta also said that information about the functioning of the Nagar Panchayat is limited to only a few people.