IGNORING our moral responsibilities and focusing only on paying lip service has become the hallmark of our society. Every now and then, we hear people emphasising the element of cleanliness, but they practically fail in walking the talk.

Piles of garbage are a common sight in almost every locality of our cities. This is not only owing to government’s apathy, but also because of lack of civic sense among the citizens. As individuals, we have a habit of not disposing of our waste at the designated places. At the institutional level, lack of adequate municipal staff and dereliction of duty lead to such mountains of garbage everywhere. It seems we are not bothered about diseases that can spread because of these unhygienic conditions.

The habit of littering has now become a part of our living, and society has become insensitive to the extent that people do not feel any shame in dumping garbage even outside and around places of worship.

The accompanying picture speaks volumes about the apathy of both the people of the locality of Shahdrah Masjid in Kot Haleem Khan, Kasur, and the local municipal authorities. The fact is that even the municipality staff is seen dumping garbage around the place without any remorse. Many complaints have been lodged with the city municipality, but all in vain. Will the authorities take action and ensure garbage is not dumped at least around the mosque?

M. Nadeem Nadir

Kasur

• Published in Dawn, June 20th, 2021*