KASUR, Dec 6: Local authorities have failed to improve sanitary conditions here. During a survey of the city this correspondent saw heaps of garbage and rubbish on a number of places, posing a threat to the lives of the residents.

The people blame the tehsil municipal authorities for the mess and say the staff concerned does not perform its duties properly. Garbage and rubbish in open places in the residential areas of Nafees Colony, Basti Qadarabad, Salamatpura, Mocheepura, Basti Sanjooksur, Azhar Colony and Kutchary Road speak volumes for the ‘efficiency’ of the tehsil administration that has not yet specified a point in the city to dump solid waste.

The situation is worse on Capt Naseem Hayat road where the city’s lone government girls college is located. There are also three private and government schools on the road and over 7,000 students are users of it. There are also a health centre and a cinema on the road. Sanitary workers and residents use three acres of the area as a dumping spot and the activity goes unchecked. Sakeena Bibi, Parveen, Hanifa and others told the scribe that they had lodged several complaints with the authorities concerned in this regard but to no avail.

In Basti Sanjoksur and Salamatpura, the situation is no different. Garbage and trash over acres of land have become breeding ground for mosquitoes and flies. The authorities seem least bothered to solve the problems of the area people.

The other streets, mohallas and bazaars are also a mess. Residents blame sanitary workers for the situation.

Expressing dissatisfaction over the hygienic conditions in the city, Dr Masood Akram said that patients with respiratory problems were increasing day by day.

Sanitary inspectors M.Sabir and Amanat Ali at the TMA office told the scribe that the main reason for the situation was shortage of sanitary workers and necessary equipment. They said the TMA had not appointed a single sanitary worker since 1982. Of 400 sanitary workers, they said 270 were permanent employees and 100 of them were over the age of 50. They are not physically fit to perform their duties, they said.

Requesting anonymity, another official at the TMA office said that instead of facing the challenge of sanitation, the TMA had surrendered and given the responsibility to a private company last week. He said that the private company would deal with the situation with the same strength of sanitary workers and equipment, and receive a sum of over Rs2 million per annum, excluding the charges for carrying solid waste to recycling sites from the dumping points. It will be an extra burden on Kasur tehsil, he said.

When contacted, incharge M.Asghar at the office of the private company said that the problem of insanitation was getting complicated day by day mainly because of the population explosion. He said that the company was going to introduce a system of double roll call to ensure the presence of all sanitary workers rather than increasing their strength.

PPP city president Yaseen Lumberdar and secretary-general Dr. M. Akram said that the TMA had failed to counter the situation owing to its inefficiency.

When contacted, tehsil nazim Agha Naveed Hashim Rizvi said that this was an age of specialisation and a private company having expertise alone could tackle the situation.

When asked that the TMA had already technical staff in the form of qualified sanitary inspectors, the nazim said: “They still have to learn more.”