Dhanbad: For a few days before and after the swachh survey in January, the coal town looked clean and tidy. But it's back to square one with mounds of garbage littered across all the five circles -Dhanbad, Jharia, Sindri, Katras and Chatatand.
The reason: a pump that supplied diesel to the garbage trucks decided to stop supply because of dues worth more than Rs 70 lakh. The situation is particularly bad in Katras and Jharia where piles of unattended garbage have spilled on to the roads obstructing movement of vehicles.
In Jharia's Dharmshala Road, stink emanating from the vats is posing problems for residents of adjoining areas. The stretch is also home to numerous shops, a Durga temple and a private maternity hospital.
Expressing disgust over the situation, Dipak Sahu, a resident of Dharmshala Road who owns a pharmacy, Dipak Medical, near Matri Sadan Hospital said, "Devotees visiting the temple located near the hospital have to negotiate mounds of garbage to reach the place of worship."
Former councillor of Ward 37 Anup Sao said, "We have never witnessed such a situation in the past. Despite repeated requests, the civic body took no steps to remove the garbage from the area during Chaiti Navratra festival which ended on Monday. The situation in all the five wards of Dhanbad is more or less similar."
Executive officer of Jharia circle of Dhanbad Municipal Corporation, Ritesh Singh, while admitting to the problem said shortage of fuel had brought the garbage trucks to a halt for the last seven days. "The problem has been solved today (Wednesday) and we will start lifting garbage from the vats on Thursday and take it to the dumping site at Baniahir," he said.
The situation is similar in Katras where shortage of fuel had prevented trucks from lifting garbage from the vats for more than two weeks. The situation is particularly bad in areas such as Panchgarhi Bazar and Katras Bazar.
Former chairman of Bokaro Industrial Area Development Authority and a resident of Katras, Vijay Jha, said, "There's garbage everywhere in Katras including Rani Bazar. This could lead to the spread of diseases."
Dhanbad mayor Chandrashekhar Agarwal said, "The pump which used to provide diesel to the garbage trucks stopped giving us fuel because of pending bills worth more than Rs 70 lakh. The problem however, has been solved. Trucks have already started lifting garbage in Dhanbad circle. Services in other circles like Jharia will be restored in a day or two."
