Open garbage dumping site in Pulwama next to women’s college

Open garbage dumping site in Pulwama next to women’s college

Shopkeepers lament that no one wants to stop at a place where the stench of garbage greets them

Pulwama: An open garbage dumping site, with tonnes of filth, just lying in plain sight here in Pulwama district has become an eyesore for the general public and a health hazard for the people who live and work in the vicinity.
For years now, the municipal authorities in this south Kashmir district have been bringing in garbage from different parts of Pulwama town and dumping it at a particular site along the busy Circular Road.
The dumping site is close to paddy fields, apple orchards, some residential structures, a Women’s Degree College, and certain commercial establishments. “The women’s college is barely 20 meters from this dumping site and the students are bearing the brunt with frequent health issues,” a teacher at the college told Kashmir Reader.
He said that the foul smell emanating from the dump reaches the classrooms of the college and is a constant nuisance for students as well as teachers. “We have been trying to get the attention of the authorities towards this menace, but to no avail,” the teacher said.
The only precaution the municipal authorities have taken is that they have covered some parts of the site with tin sheets. That, however, does not take away either the stench or the hazard that this site poses to people’s health.
“Most of it is still visible if you are driving along the road,” the residents of the area said, adding that the site has been a source of embarrassment for them apart from the health hazard it is.
The shopkeepers operating near this site lament that they are losing business, given the fact that no one wants to park or stop at a place where the stench of garbage greets them even before they have disembarked from their vehicle.
“Many shops have been closed in the area, and at least one shopping complex lies defunct because of this mess. I barely make any money now, as the pile of garbage keeps getting bigger every passing day,” a shopkeeper in the area told Kashmir Reader.
He said that the municipal authorities have been listening to the complaints of the people, but have never acted to make any amends and rectify this nuisance.
Kashmir Reader talked to the Chairman of the Pulwama Municipal Committee, Bilal Rather, who maintained that the problem was going to be solved in less than a week’s time.
“We have got a dumping site approved in Newa area of Pulwama, and the garbage will be shifted from the present site to one in Newa soon,” Rather said, adding that the work would have already been started but the municipal authorities were busy with “my town, my pride” programme which will last till December 5.
“Soon after the programme is done with, we are going to call in dumpers and move the garbage to Newa,” Rather said.

 

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