SHANGLA: Garbage containers purchased with millions of rupees for the Chakesar tehsil are rusting away on the roadside owing to negligence of the quarters concerned.

The dustbin trolleys have been lying unused along the Chakesar road near the rural health centre since long, with residents, particularly traders, throwing trash in the open spaces.

“The garbage containers were bought by Alpuri tehsil convener Shaukat Ali some two years ago, but these are yet to be put to use,” Majid Khan, a local, complained. He said due to dumping of trash in the open Chakesar Bazaar and its surroundings were presenting a dirty look to the inconvenience of its dwellers. “Dumping of waste at public places is polluting the environment,” he said.

Izhar-ul-Haq, another local, said there was no proper facility for dumping garbage in the area, and urged the TMA Alpuri and other relevant authorities to make the trolleys operational.

He said the TMA staff was limited only to Alpuri and other parts of the tehsil, including Chakesar, were totally neglected.

Repeated calls were made to the tehsil nazim and tehsil municipal officer for knowing their comment on the matter, but they did not attend to the calls.

CLEANLINESS DRIVE: The Alpuri tehsil municipal administration on Friday launched a weeklong cleanliness drive, and organised an awareness walk as part of it. The walk started from the district secretariat and reached Alpuri Bazaar, with the participants carrying banners and placards inscribed with messages about the importance of cleanliness. School students, officials of police, TMA, civil society activists and youth participated. Assistant commissioner Tariq Mehmood, DSP Amjad Ali and municipal officer Misbahuddin spoke to the participants of the walk.

Mr Mehmood urged the people, particularly students, to spread the importance of cleanliness to citizens. “It is our moral duty to keep our surroundings clean,” he stressed.

Misbahuddin said a cleanliness drive was underway throughout the district and urged the public to refrain from dumping garbage into the rivers.

He appealed to the citizens to cooperate with the municipal workers to make the drive a success.

HOUSE GUTTED: A house was gutted in Chedam area of Chakesar the other day.

Area SHO Saeed Mehmood told Dawn the fire erupted due to electricity short circuit in a room, and the fire engulfed the entire four-storey house comprising 23 rooms within no time.

He said the owner, Sardar Ali, reported that his house was built at a cost of Rs7 million and that cash and gold were among the items destroyed in the blaze.

Published in Dawn, October 21st, 2017