The outskirts of this centuries old historic town of temples and the gateway to panoramic valleys of Kullu, Manali, lahul and Spiti have become a veritable hub of dumping garbage, flth, swills, scraps and junk right under the nose of the district administration and Nagar Parishad.
The two Cabinet Ministers, who live within 9-km radius of this town, seem to have turned a blind eye towards the sorry State of affairs notwithstanding tall claims of promoting tourism in the hill State.
Mandi By-Pass on the National Highway- 21, Kangni DPF forests, the Mandi-Ner-Chowk portions and Sauli Khad to Brindvan and Mandi-Sundernagar stretches of the Chandigarh – Manali national highway have become the focal points of dumping garbage and scrap littering on both sides of the NH-21. Truck loads of trash are daily being unloaded fearlessly by the people doing construction and other activities.
Government agencies like the State Pollution Board, Nagar Parishad, District Administration, Police and Forest Department seem to be unconcerned. Foreigners can be seen taking pictures of the ugly scenes of scrap littered to paint a malevolent picture of the State abroad.
Desite swine flu spreading, adequate preventive measures have not being taken in the wake of the fact that the Chief Minister and his colleagues are busy with inaugurations and laying of foundation stones while the bureaucracy is swarming around them abandoning their normal duties leaving the general public in the lurch.
As many as 55 towns of notified area committees, Nagar Panchayats and municipal councils pose a serious health hazard for the spread of swine flu the concerned departments are not checking the food safety violations. Over a dozen of persons have developed H1N1 symptoms according to reports from IGMC Shimla and DRPMGC Kangra Medical Colleges. An unknown number of the victims of the swine flue could be there in the rest of the hill State.
Two doctors of DRPGMC Kangra have been specially trained for swine flu testing. Huge money has been spent for purchasing such machines, says Thakur Kaul Singh, Health Minister.
The most gloomy picture is that the in Kangra where Satya Devi, the first victim of carrying H1N1 symptoms was detected in IGMC Shimla, the Chief Minister and his Cabinet Ministers were engaged in reveling rallies instead of providing necessary arrangements to the State.