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| 9 years on, Kathua SWM project in jeopardy | | Municipal Council fails to acquire land | | Rakesh Sambyal
Kathua, Oct 6: Blame it on the lackadaisical attitude of Kathua Municipal Council that nine years since funds were allocated by Union government for establishment of Solid Waste Management (SWM) facility for Kathua town, KMC has failed to utilize the funds and take possession of the land it identified recently. According to 2001 Census, around 65 thousand habitants are residing in the municipal radius of 16 kilometers, which daily produce quintals of house hold waste, which is dumped in the nullah flowing in and around the city. Moreover, most of the wastage is thrown in river Ravi by MC, polluting rivers and causing threat to the river and its floura and fauna.
Sources informed Early Times that in 2004 Union government had sponsored a project of Solid Waste Management (SWM) facility for Kathua town under scheme Urban Infrastructure Development for Small and Medium Towns (UIDSSMT). An amount of Rs. 1.46 Crore was sanctioned by Union government but the responsibility of providing land for establishment of facility was on local administration", sources said, adding that it was astounding to find that till now the land has not been acquired by Municipal Council and project has been restricted to files only. At one hand the Municipal Council is still hoping that sooner or later the project will materialize whereas the residents strongly criticized the MC for deliberately turning a Nelson's eye towards the project. Gian Chand a senior citizen said that previously they had heard that the solid waste management plant was to be established near Chamba Bagh, but within few months the report regarding shifting of Sahar Khad also came. "The work tender was sanctioned and the work got started near Sahar Khud but during rainy season, the small construction work washed away in flash floods in Sahar Khad", an official pleading anonymity said, adding that in the eleventh hour the construction company refused to complete the work.
He further informed that following which the land at Sahar Khad was rejected and a hunt to identify new site was started. "After making efforts, the MC found a land near Maggar Khad at village Jagatpur but in between almost nine years have been passed and due to the lethargic attitude of MC, the hopes of project's existence are still blur", he said, adding that it seemed that if the plan would also end in a smoke. "At wits end only God knows when the town will get the facility of solid waste management", he said.
Regarding the delay in the implementation of the plan Executive Officer Vinod Sharma told that matter is before the time he joined here as an Executive Officer. He further told that presently the department had identified 12 kanals of land at Jagatpur. As soon as the revenue department gets land transferred to the department, the work will start, he added. |
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