HAJIN: The locals in Hajin town in north Kashmir’s Bandipora district have accused the municipal authorities of failing to maintain cleanliness in the area.
The residents, while blaming the municipal authorities and local administration, said that a walk along the riverbanks and main roads once revitalized a person, and locals preferred to spend their leisure time in this healthy environment. However, the irresponsible behavior of some residents and the neglect of the Municipal Committee Hajin have turned the area into a mess.
A local shopkeeper in the main market of Hajin told Kashmir Reader that locals, some shopkeepers, and nearby residents are to be blamed for dumping garbage and other waste on the embankments and main roads, which produce a foul smell. To add to the problems, some shopkeepers also pile up waste on the main roads, causing a foul smell during the summer and making life unbearable for the residents.
The locals said that inner, link, and main roads remain unclean, and no cleanliness drive is being carried out by municipal authorities in the town. They said the Municipal Committee Hajin and its employees neither conducted cleanliness drives regularly in the area to keep it clean nor were they cleaning the Jhelum embankments.
Another resident, Mohammad Arif, said, “We fail to understand why the Municipal Committee Hajin fails to keep the town clean if it falls within their jurisdiction.”
In the summer, a foul smell emanates from the waste accumulated on the embankments, and municipal authorities are not bothered to remove or act against the erring shopkeepers or nearby residents under municipal law.