Crime, drug addiction, water crisis major issues
Sanjeev K. Sharma
JAMMU: People of Ward Number-60, which includes Paloura area, are grappling with the problems of crime, drug addiction, water crisis, garbage disposal etc.
“The youth are increasingly falling prey to the demon of addiction and the law enforcing authorities should immediately take effective steps to stop this,” Balban Singh-a retired military officer living in this Ward said.
Linked to this is crime which is another grave problem of the Ward.
Shagun-a college going girl said that crime in the Ward is also very much prevalent as incidents of eve teasing, snatching cases, petty fights, thefts etc are not new here.
Jawala is a housewife who said that she along with many other people of the Ward feel harassed by the problem of acute water crisis.
“Sometimes water supply is provided after two or three days and we have to either face problems or pay hefty amount to get a tanker,” she further said.
Still many people in the Ward are frustrated with the problem of garbage disposal, poor street lights, stray dogs, blocked drains, poor sanitation, poor lanes etc.
“There is no place for garbage disposal in the Ward and people throw the garbage wherever they feel convenient and easy,” Balkar-a private sector employee said.
He also informed that the vacant plots in the Ward have become garbage dumping places and the residents near such plots face a lot of problems as foul smell, flies and mosquitoes continuously disturb their lives.
“The Dhok Mohallah area has tilted poles which may fall anytime and there are power cables passing over certain residential houses in the Ward which is an open threat to human lives and needs immediate attention,” Ram Swaroop-an elder in the Ward told this reporter.
However, the Ward is now having a newly elected Corporator, Rajni Bala and the people here now hope that she will soon get all the problems of the Ward solved.
In an interaction with EXCELSIOR, Rajni Bala said, many problems of her Ward increased after the tenure of elected representatives of Urban Local Bodies was over and fresh elections were conducted after a lapse of many years.
“In this long gap almost no work was done in my Ward so condition of lanes and drains turned to worst from bad and water crisis has really become intolerable,” she said.
She informed that big pipes for water supply were laid during her last tenure as a Corporator but as the population in the Ward has increased now with people from Kashmir, Rajouri, Poonch, Doda etc settling here, more big pipes are required now.
The Corporator informed that work on a tube-well is underway and with its completion there will be no water crisis in the Ward.
“As this increased population has increased load on the power transformer, same also needs to be upgraded,” she further said.
On the menace of crime, drug addiction and increased use of narcotics among the youth in the Ward, she said that police department is already working in this direction and many drug suppliers are now cooling their heels behind the bars.
She further said that crime is also linked to addiction and an addict person easily commits crime.
“Police should act tough in this regard and ensure a crime and addiction free society,” she said adding that the parents should also keep an eye over the activities of their children.
On the problem of stray dogs, she said that stray dogs in her Ward are restricted to meat shops.
“Earlier stray cows were also seen in the Ward but now there is no stray cow in the Ward,” she informed adding that soon the meat shops in the Ward will be instructed to keep a dustbin for the wastes so that problems due to stray dogs are controlled.
“Similarly eateries and other such shops should also keep dustbins to dispose-off the used disposal plates, glasses etc so that litter may not spread,” she said.
Rajni Bala further said that use of poly bags is a big problem and awareness is required to control this.
On garbage disposal she said that as of now there is no dustbin or JMC container in the Ward and she voiced for door to door garbage collection soon.
The Corporator said that public in her Ward and in many other places in the city lacks civic sense for which there should be meetings to educate the public.
“Leaving aside issues of party ideology, I have good relations with other Corporators,” she said.
Rajni is a second time Congress party Corporator in the same Ward and this time she won with a margin of 450 votes after defeating Bahadur Singh of BJP who got 700 votes against 1199 got by Rajni Bala.
She is a housewife and a chairperson of a B.Ed College owned by her family and she claims that none of her three roles discriminate which other one as she maintains a perfect balance between all the three.
Her husband Hari Singh Chib is a retired engineer who is presently District Rural President of Congress while her son Uday Bhanu is J&K President of Youth Congress. She has two daughters-Sugandha who is a fashion designer and Suvidha who works with ‘Shuttle’ a startup in Gurgaon.
She said that she spend a little money on campaigning and claimed that 74th amendment of J&K Constitution empowering Urban Local Bodies is only on papers as the Babus only oblige their political bosses and the party in power.
She also said that JMC Commissioner should not discriminate between Corporators and should treat all with equality and development of Wards should also be free from political considerations.
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