NAROWAL: The ground of theGovernment Boys Postgraduate College of Shakargarh has become a filth depot, thanks to the indifference of the Municipal Committee and the institute administration.

Once a centre of healthy activities such as cricket, hockey and football competitions, the ground is now a picture of neglect with heaps of garbage spreading all around. The stink of the filth has made lives of people living around the place miserable.

Local residents Mohammad Asghar and Nadeem Kamal said the stench of the garbage piles in the playground had disturbed routine life and children in particular were vulnerable to diseases.

“The conditions become all the more nauseating in summer and the residents, passersby and guests face a great deal of inconvenience,” said Nadeem Kamal.

Others including Mohammad Aslam and Farhan Ali complained that the garbage and dirty water collected in the playground became a breeding ground for insects and snakes which endanger the lives of the residents. Snakes crawled into many houses some time back, they said, and people killed them without the help of any official support.

They said their repeated reminders to the Narowal deputy commissioner, Shakargarh’s assistant commissioner and the college principal to rid them of the problem had not borne fruit. No one, they deplored, was ready to provide them a clean environment.

Farhan Ali said the ground was located in the centre of the city and countless people residing in adjoining places such as Mohallah Riazpura, Mohallah Rashidpura and railway line were affected by it.

The residents said there were already insufficient facilities for people to engage in recreational activities and no department was willing to clear the garbage and make the ground worth visiting.

Hafiz Muhammad Afzal, Superintendent Services Municipal Committee, Shakargarh, said the college administration was responsible for maintaining the facility and providing a clean and conducive environment to students to play.

The college authorities even refused to cooperate with the Municipal Committee otherwise officials were ready to pick the garbage daily, he said.

Published in Dawn, January 24th, 2021