As devotees await the new moon to mark the beginning of Ramzan, Ranchi Municipal Corporation is gearing up to fulfil the requests for drinking water and sanitation from Muslim-populated parts of Ranchi during this auspicious month.
With Ramzan expected to begin from Wednesday, the shops offering eatables to devotees to break their fast, or roza, are seeing an increase in footfall, which calls for extensive cleanliness arrangements in such marketplaces. The shopkeepers did not sound very hopeful of steps taken by the urban local body though.
“We have been doing business in Main Road for the past 20 years and RMC seldom comes forward with required measures to ensure cleanliness during Ramzan.
Although it has been done once or twice, I am not expecting any arrangements this year. Considering the recent hike in taxes, they should take some interest,” said Sajid, proprietor of a sevai shop near Daily Market.
Cleaning the shopping areas is somewhat taken care of by the shopkeepers themselves, with RMC cleaners doing their usual rounds which are inadequate as footfall grows, he added. lighting arrangements are mostly done by the shop owners themselves as shoppers go on with their shopping till late.
But the civic guardians claim to be making preparations for ensuring a cleaner Ramzan this year. Instructions have been issued in this regard, stated Ranchi Mayor Asha lakra.
“Nothing of this sort has been done in the prior years, but cleaning activities have been spurred ahead of Ramzan. Special emphasis is being put on areas of Ranchi heavily populated by Muslims. We have received some requests in this regard from several political parties and Muslim organisations,” she stated.
Orders have been forwarded to all wards of the city to ensure cleaner surroundings with focus on Ramzan, stated Deputy Mayor Sanjeev Vijaywargia.
RMC is looking to achieve this with its limited manpower as no addition has been made to the existing workforce of cleaners working, according to the Mayor. No provisions have been made for lighting arrangements either as the shopkeepers do it themselves, she added.
Water tankers and mobile toilets have also been kept on ready for being used in the public Iftaar gatherings which sees groups of rozedaars breaking fast together. They will be dispatched according to the requests we receive, stated Vijaywargia.
The 10 water tankers we reserve for festivals will be used to supply water to required places during Ramzan. We received some requests from Edalhatu, one of the Muslim-populated areas of Ranchi, where people have to struggle to get water even for daily chores interfering with their pious activities for Ramzan. Water tankers will be sent to the area from today onwards,” said lakra.