Launched with much hype nearly five years ago, Chandigarh Housing Board’s colony in Sector 49-D was supposed to be a landmark project, but it has been reduced to a sheer eyesore.
Residents’ regular complaints about broken roads, wild growth of grass and increasing stray dog menace is a sheer reflection of apathetic attitude of the Chandigarh Housing Board (CHB) authorities.
Besides, leakage in the walls, pipes, joints and broken tiles of the CHB flats are the perennial problems which the residents of the locality have to put up with, the residents complained.
When contacted, Mandeep Kaur, secretary, CHB, said, “We are in the process of transferring the colony to the municipal corporation, which will take up the maintenance works.”
Harjeet Singh, a resident of the locality, said, “For the past three years, the entire road stretch in front of house number 2791 is lying broken, but nobody has come to repair it as authorities concerned have turned a blind eye.”
He added, “The roads at other places in the locality are also in a bad shape. Moreover, there is a huge growth of wild grass all over the place. The children have caught allergies and have been bitten by insects hiding in the grass. On a couple of occasions, snakes too have appeared, making everyone, particularly small children, vulnerable. The parks are filthy and the grass has not been trimmed. Should all these things not wake up the authorities from their slumber?”
{{/usCountry}}He added, “The roads at other places in the locality are also in a bad shape. Moreover, there is a huge growth of wild grass all over the place. The children have caught allergies and have been bitten by insects hiding in the grass. On a couple of occasions, snakes too have appeared, making everyone, particularly small children, vulnerable. The parks are filthy and the grass has not been trimmed. Should all these things not wake up the authorities from their slumber?”
{{/usCountry}}Sahil, 6, dreads to go out to play in the park due to the presence of stray dogs. There have been cases of dog bites in the past, but nothing has been done to check this menace, Sahil’s father said.
Another resident Naresh Kumar complained about the nuisance caused by unregistered paying guest (PG) accommodations. Many PGs play loud music and blow horns of their vehicles late in the night causing great inconvenience to the residents, especially children who have to wake up early to attend their schools. Kumar added.
A young working woman, who did not wish to be identified, claimed that hooliganism was growing in the area.
“My job involves coming late from work and I always feel scared. On rare occasions, police barricades are put up as part of security arrangements, but most of the time one can see hooligans roaming around late in the evening without any fear of law,” she said.