Locals are a harassed lot due to the failure of the municipal committee to stop dumping of garbage on roadsides. Stray animals are thus a routine on the main roads of the town.
Cows, dogs and flies obstruct the already narrow roads and make commuting a nightmare.
The main, the Kotkapura road, is also full of garbage, especially behind the board of the municipal committee, which ironically prohibits dumping of garbage outside the dumps.
"Garbage dumped on the road sides can be seen at many places which give the city an ugly look besides creating problems for all," claimed Sham Lal Goyal, president of the Consumer Awareness Group, Muktsar.
"It is illegal to dump garbage on roads and the municipal committee should urgently make arrangements to dump garbage at various parts in the city. The garbage should be collected and transported to the dump site," claims Goyal.
{{/usCountry}}"It is illegal to dump garbage on roads and the municipal committee should urgently make arrangements to dump garbage at various parts in the city. The garbage should be collected and transported to the dump site," claims Goyal.
{{/usCountry}}He claimed that vendors selling vegetable etc also contribute to the waste and garbage and needed to be reined in.
"A project started to collect solid waste from houses was also stopped due to an unknown reason. Now, there is no cleanliness and hygiene in the city," said Goyal.
"The civic body does not have the required strength of the safai karamcharis. The solid waste management project was also abandoned six months ago. Now, most people pay private workers Rs 30-40 a month to collect garbage from their houses," claimed Boota Ram Kamra, patron Ashirvad club Muktsar.
"When the municipal committee does not have the required strength of the safai karmcharis and private company has already left. We need the civic body to step in and take responsibility," Kamra said.
"The city was much cleaner last year. The streets were cleaner and there was work done on the front. Now, there is no cleanliness at all," said Jatinder Singh, a local.
"We have brought this matter to the notice of the authorities, including the sanitary inspector. However, no one paid heed."
Incidentally, the municipal committee no longer exists as its term has expired.
"We are giving priority to cleanliness. We have removed the garbage dumps from the roadsides. More measures will be taken soon," said Narinder Singh Bath, additional deputy commissioner Muktsar, who is the administrator of the municipal committee Muktsar.
He added that lifting and collection of garbage was being done by officials of the civic body.