RAWALPINDI: The Rawalpindi Cantonment Board (RCB)’s sanitation branch has failed to clean nullahs in the civilian-populated residential areas.

The health department had asked the civic bodies to ensure cle anliness of the nullahs and drains before the start of the monsoon season to check the spread of the dengue virus.

Though three dengue patients have reported to government hospitals during the last 15 days, the civic bodies failed to launch any action in their respective areas.

Health dept had asked civic bodies to ensure cleanliness of nullahs before monsoon to check dengue virus

Heaps of garbage lying at Haider Road, Hathi Chowk, Tench Bhatta, Barafkhana Chowk, Allahabad, Misrial Road, Chur Chowk, Siham and Gawalmandi show the performance of the civic agencies.

The residents were of the view that the civic infrastructure in the cantonment areas had collapsed. Despite having public representation in the cantonment boards, the bureaucracy is still running the affairs and paying no attention to complaints of the residents.

The residents complained that scores of complaints had been lodged with the sanitation branch but to no avail. They said the RCB was always working to improve the sanitation condition in areas such as Westridge, Peshawar Road and the localities around Saddar and the Mall while areas inhabited by civilians were ignored.

“The sanitation staff rarely collects garbage and if ever they visit our area they pick it so clumsily that most of the garbage is left on the roads,” said Shahzad Malik, a resident of Dheri Hasanabad.

Saleem Chaudhry, of Dhoke Syedan, said it was very difficult to walk on the roads and streets due to stinking smell emanating from heaps of garbage.

”I visited the office of RCB officials many times but they were not available. Our elected members are busy in their own businesses,” he said.

Mohammad Bilal, a shopkeeper in Gawalmandi, said the sewerage system in their area had collapsed. He said the RCB did not remove garbage from the roads that entered the sewage lines and choked them.

He said local traders had hired services of private sanitation workers to clean roads and drains around their shops. He said the RCB collected taxes from the citizens but failed to provide them basic facilities.

The residents said instead of collecting garbage the sanitary workers burned it on the roads creating further pollution. They said most of the sanitary workers dumped garbage into drains which choked them.

Published in Dawn, April 25th, 2018