Stray dogs’ menace, drug addiction in Mayor’s ward
Sanjeev K. Sharma
JAMMU: Stray dogs, increasing addiction, blocked drains, dilapidated lanes etc mark prevailing atmosphere in Ward Number-33, Shiv Nagar area here.
Apart from all this, the Ward is facing many other problems too and a direct interaction with the locals brought to fore the intensity of problems.
Ram Nath, an elder said that people of his age in the Ward faced the terror of stray dogs as most of these elders move with a walk-stick which provokes street dogs and they bark harshly at them.
Some ladies said that children also faced problems in going out for cycling as these dogs chase them.
Many people have quoted certain cases where these canines have even injured people after attacking them.
A local—Sardari Lal informed that it really becomes tough to walk through the dirty and broken lanes especially in the evening hours as street lights have not been installed everywhere in the Ward.
Bimla—a housewife said, the madly throwing of garbage is really a big problem.
She informed that she gets harassed when she finds that someone has thrown garbage near the very entrance of her home.
Still more people from the area have a common problem they daily face and it is regarding blockage of drains which in turn leaves the litter on road making it difficult to walk on one hand and making it a breeding place for mosquitoes on the other hand apart from giving foul smell and bad look to the area.
Balbir Singh—a social worker said that youth of the area are increasingly falling prey to the demon of addiction and this is a matter of serious concern.
He said that parents should keep an eye on the activities of their children and police department should also maintain an extra vigil in this regard as future of India is under the threat.
Many other people talked about pollution, traffic jams at Jagat Resort road, lack of parking facilities with community halls operating in the area etc.
Now, after the Urban Local Bodies (ULB) elections, people have pinned hopes for solution to the problems of the Ward on the Corporator of the Ward—Chander Mohan Gupta, who has been elected as Jammu Municipal Corporation (JMC) Mayor.
Gupta had won the Urban Local Bodies (ULB) elections for the second time on BJP mandate.
In an interview with EXCELSIOR, Chander Mohan Gupta was made aware about all the issues of his Ward and he planned to solve the problems confronting the Ward also assured to walk an extra mile to mitigate all these public problems soon.
He informed that most of the households in his Ward have cows or buffaloes and the dung is discarded in the drains which blocked them.
He appealed to all such people in his Ward to properly dispose-off the animal wastes because otherwise there will be sanitation problems in the area and authorities may fine such people.
He also informed that as most of the Ward is covered by sewerage network so the problem of blockage in drains has been considerably reduced but wherever the drains are blocked, it is only due to poly-bags, animal dung and wrongly thrown garbage in the drains.
Gupta also talked about the development of a Cremation Ground in his Ward on modern lines.
“Sheds at the Cremation Ground are damaged and parking place there is being used for dumping debris and construction material while bathrooms there are in bad shape with shabby looks and we are planning plantation of more trees there along with solving other problems,” he informed.
On absence of parapet along the big Nallah opposite Jagat Resort he said that soon parapet or grill will be erected there to prevent animals or vehicles to fall into the Nallah.
On the problem of lanes and drains in the Ward, he said that the same will be solved soon and he further added that sanitation is now one of his priority areas to work on.
About garbage disposal, Gupta said that there is a garbage dumping place near Jagat Resort road from where garbage collector vehicles lift the garbage daily.
He also informed that vacant plots in the Ward have become garbage dumping places.
“Though there is an acute shortage of Safai Karamcharis with JMC yet it has started door to door garbage collection,” the Mayor maintained.
He also said that street lights in the area are made proper yet at some places same will be improved soon.
The Mayor said that the problem of stray dogs is very much there in the Ward for which relevant steps will soon be taken while there is no issue of stray cows and horses in his Ward.
He assured taking strict against drugs and other types of addiction in the Ward.
Chander Mohan Gupta won ULB elections with a margin of 673 votes after defeating Rajesh Sharma of Congress. Sharma was polled 1015 votes against 1688 polled to Gupta.
Gupta runs a handloom business and his wife Kamla Gupta is a housewife who takes keen interest in social works and is BJP Mahila Morcha State Vice President.
Gupta has two sons—Satyam and Shivam. Satyam looks after family business while Shivam is a student. His daughter Dr Bhawna is married in Delhi and her husband is a Bank Manager.
Gupta still remembers that in his last tenure as a Corporator he got Nallahs concreted and got them connected with small drains and also made some bridges over them wherever it was necessary.
“Now, I have another chance to complete the works which I could not accomplish in my last tenure,” he maintained.
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