GUJRANWALA: The Gujranwala District Council Administration has turned a blind eye towards improving the cleanliness situation in rural areas, especially in Mandiala Warriach.
Large heaps of garbage can be seen alongside roads and streets, which causes problems for locals.
Prominent political personalities of Gujranwala, including Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) district president Rao Ikram and Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) leader Rana Naeemur Rehman, hail from the town.
Rao Ikram had also served as town nazim, but the cleanliness situation did not improve.
Heaps of garbage, plastic bags and used bottles can be seen all over the area. Talking to Daily Times, the residents said that the foul smell emanating from the garbage had made it very difficult to walk on the roads and streets. They said that they had lodged complaints with the departments concerned many times, but nothing had been done so far.
The people said the uncollected garbage on the roads had clogged sewerage lines. “Sewage overflows on roads, making them impassable,” they said.
They blamed the sanitary department of the district council for not doing its job properly. “The garbage heaps and ponds of sewerage water have become breeding grounds of mosquitoes. Several malaria and dengue cases have been reported from the area,” they said.
The locals urged the Gujranwala deputy commissioner to visit the area and launch a cleanliness drive.
“Chairman District Council Mazhar Qayyum Nahra should take solid steps to make the area clean,” the residents said.
The district council management said that they faced a shortage of sanitary staff.
