For the deplorable level of civic sanitation in Haridwar, both the Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party have come at loggerheads. The Haridwar mayor Anita Sharma, who is from the Congress, has held the Urban Development minister Madan Kaushik and officials of Municipal Corporation of Haridwar responsible for non-collection of solid waste. To top it all the employees of KRL company which has got the turnkey project of door to door solid waste collection have gone on strike since June 11. The city mayor has also alleged that the municipal commissioner is turning a deaf ear to the proposals put forth by her. All this has led to the grim situation in the entire city with heaps of garbage piling up at various places.
Speaking to The Pioneer, the Haridwar mayor Anita Sharma said that action must be taken against the KRL company and its owner. She said, “I have been elected by the people and I wish to deliver what they demand but with the non-cooperation of the officials of municipal corporation, things are not turning better. Time and again, the councillors from BJP assure of assistance but seemingly acting on the directions of urban development minister, they do not assist. We shall be making a complaint to the state chief minister regarding this. If need be, we shall stage protest along with independent councillors at CM house.” The mayor also alleged that her supporters were manhandled by BJP councillors. Independent councillor Anil Vashisht blamed KRL company for not fulfilling their tasks.
Meanwhile BJP councillors have alleged that the city mayor and her husband are misleading the public. BJP councillors demanded that the mayor should resign from her post for her inability to improve cleanliness in the city. They are holding others responsible for their own works, said BJP councillor Rajesh Sharma.
In Shivaliknagar municipality, it was proposed last month that door to door collection of garbage will start in all the wards. However, it is yet to start. The municipality had planned to increase the number of employees for sanitation works. The Urban Development minister had given green signal to all the proposals made by the municipality board for implementation of user charges. Notably ever since Shivaliknagar municipality came into existence, the residents were demanding this facility.
Municipality chairman Rajeev Sharma said that the facility of garbage collection from 27,000 families residing in Shivaliknagar will be given. “We have decided to collect Rs 75 from each family as user charge per month. The agency ITC Sunehra Kal Foundation has been given the task of waste collection. About 3000 families in Shivaliknagar have not given their consent for garbage collection so they would be issued notices,” he said.