KASUR-Heaps of garbage and choked drains with accumulated sewerage and rainwater on the roads and streets speak volumes about the performance of the government officials who allegedly embezzled the funds allocated for the public welfare, it is learnt.
The local people said during a survey every state is responsible for providing the public with better healthcare which is, undoubtedly, the most important in a society.
For the purpose, their first priority is to maintain hygienic conditions in the localities which are necessary to keep the people safe from becoming victim of diseases, they said.
As far as sanitation in Kasur district is concerned in light of the above discussed role of a state, heaps of garbage and accumulation of dirty water in the streets call performance of the officials and public representatives into question, they said during the survey conducted by this correspondent.
They said trash dumps and accumulated sewerage have turned the district into a landfill. They said the Punjab government allocated millions of rupees only for cleanliness in the district but the funds could never be used for the purpose. They said that the money allocated for the public welfare was either embezzled or spent on photo sessions of the MNAs, MPAs and officials of the other departments. They regretted that 70 percent area of Kasur district is deprived of basic facilities of life as the residents do not have even clean water to drink.
They said that the sewerage system in Kasur is also in the worst condition as it lacks the capacity to drain the rainwater. Whenever the meteors showered down on the district, it results in huge accumulation of water on the roads and streets. “The water then seeps into the shops and houses. As no step for its drainage is taken, it remains accumulated for months and gives rise to mosquito spread in the area. The mosquitoes’ mushrooming causes malaria, dengue and other diseases among people,” they said.
On the other hand, public representatives are never bothered to visit the undeveloped and deprived areas to mitigate the public problems. Similarly, the officials also remain restricted to their offices and receive salaries for doing nothing.
“Indifference of the public representatives and officials to their bounden-duty depicts that they are not afraid of Allah Almighty and do not consider themselves answerable to anyone,” they regretted. Whenever they are called on for addressing the public issues, they treat the people rudely, they added.
The political, religious and trade unions of the district demanded Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif take note of the officials’ negligence and irregularities in the funds, allocated for cleanliness in the district. They also demanded him form a committee to investigate into the corruption in the public funds.
When contacted, Kasur Municipal Committee chairman Ayyaz Ahmed Khan said that the MC is devising a comprehensive plan to launch a cleanliness drive in tehsil Kasur. He said that the chief sanitary inspector has also been assigned to supervise the cleanliness drive to be launched soon.
When contacted, Deputy Commissioner Ammara Khan she said that the local bodies system had recently been made functional and the LB representatives are making efforts to get the district rid of dirtiness. “The planning is underway in this regard and I myself will supervise the cleanliness drive,” she added.