Only 60 pc lanes-drains completed due to shortage of funds
Sanjeev K Sharma
JAMMU, Dec 10: Though more than four years have passed when the elected body of Jammu Municipal Corporation (JMC) had assumed office, solution to the floods caused by overflowing Nallahs in Ward number 66 is still nowhere in sight.
Giving more details in this regard, Tripta Devi, Councillor from the Ward informed that there are three Nallahs in the Ward which are flooded in every rainy season and the gushing water enters houses in Sharika Vihar and Dogra Nagar areas of the Ward causing damages.
She also said that 60 per cent work of construction and repair of lanes and drains in the Ward has been done so far and the rest could not be taken up due to scarcity of funds.
In an exclusive interaction with the Excelsior, Tripta, who politically belongs to BJP and is a first time Councillor, said that road blacktopping work in her Ward is 70 per cent complete.
She informed that about 1300 Street Lights have been installed in the Ward but 300 more are needed there and of the installed ones 20 per cent are non-functional and their repair is delayed due to the irresponsible attitude of the concerned agency.
The JMC Councillor said that areas of her Ward include Sectors 1 to 6 of Lower Roop Nagar, Sharika Vihar, Chandan Vihar, Dogra Nagar (Suryavanshi Nagar), Shantipuram and Vinayak Nagar.
“There are many stray dogs in my Ward and these canines not only litter here and there but also chase two wheelers and have created terror among women, children and old age people,” Tripta Devi said.
She informed that there is neither a playground nor a parking place for vehicles in the Ward.
“Construction of a Community Hall in the Ward in Sector 4 (Lower Roop Nagar) was halted at foundation level as Jammu Development Authority (JDA) denied No Objection Certificate for that despite our repeated attempts,” the Councillor said.
“A library also could not be made in the Ward as funds were not available for that,” she maintained adding that the Ward also lacks a public toilet but there is a Health Centre in the Ward which is functioning properly.
Tripta claimed that hanging wires and damaged poles are also there in the Ward and the same could not be corrected because there was paucity of funds with the concerned department.
She said that there are 13 Parks in her Ward out of which only 5 are properly maintained due to paucity of funds and there is one Open Air Gym also in the Ward.
“There are 60 Safai Karamcharis in my Ward and they do very hard work to keep the Ward clean. So there is no need of extra manpower in this regard,” she said.
The Councillor informed that water supply in the Ward is made on alternate day and in summers the Ward residents face water crisis.
“Some areas of my Ward even get dirty from the supply made by Jal Shakti Department and water pipe replacement process in the Ward is presently underway,” she said adding that Smart Meters have been installed in the Ward without any public protest or resentment.
“The autos collecting garbage from door-to-door are doing a good job and after this service was introduced in the Ward, garbage dumps have been reduced,” the Councillor further said.
She claimed that almost all the people of her Ward have made their Ayushman Cards while all the eligible Voters have got their Voter Cards while Domicile Certificates have also been received by most of the people in the Ward.
“Though many widows, old age and physically challenged persons are getting pension in my Ward but the recently introduced rule for these pensions exclusively to Below Poverty Line people is creating problems for many other deserving people,” Tripta Devi claimed.
She said that there are four water coolers given by JMC in her Ward of which two are non-functional now and none of the concerned authorities has paid any attention to make these functional again.
The Councillor said that some houses in her Ward have not been numbered so far.
“Cases of thefts involving iron gratings from drains have been reported from my Ward and there are also many drug addicts and peddlers active in the area for which the police should take a cognizance so that the youth can be saved from falling prey to this menace.
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