Stalled waste collection & open garbage dumps trash Sambhajinagar’s reputation

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: Door-to-door garbage collection using ghanta gadis has come to an abrupt halt in several parts of Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar over the past week, triggering a waste crisis, causing severe inconvenience to residents and raising serious public health concerns.Residents in many localities reported that the ghanta gadis have not visited their areas for nearly seven days, leading to piling of garbage. This has forced many to dump waste in the open. Roadside heaps and dumping in vacant plots have been reported from multiple neighbourhoods."A ghanta gadi has not come to our area in the past seven days. Garbage has been piling up, and it is becoming impossible to store the waste at home," said Babasaheb Shelar, a resident of Sena Nagar in the Beed Bypass area.The disruption has drawn sharp criticism as Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, during the recent municipal elections, had promised an "image makeover" of the city, often referred to as the tourism capital of the region. Residents say the uncollected garbage is severely tarnishing the city's image instead.BJP mayor Sameer Rajurkar could not be reached for a comment despite repeated calls and messages. Deputy mayor Rajendra Janjal, of Shiv Sena, said the issue would be addressed on a priority basis."After the contract of the earlier private firm ended, a new agency has been appointed. The transition has not been smooth due to the lack of certain planned infrastructure," Janjal said.Municipal commissioner Amol Yedge said the delay in setting up refuse transfer stations (RTSs) was a major reason behind the worsening situation. "The work on the RTSs is progressing at a fast pace. We expect door-to-door waste collection to resume smoothly by May 1," he said.Officials said the new contractor has delayed taking over solid waste collection as the RTS facilities, whose deadline has already lapsed, are not yet ready. Yedge also noted that several ghanta gadis handed over by the previous contractor have reportedly developed maintenance issues."Sanitation inspectors have been asked to conduct field visits, and waste collection vehicles are being deployed wherever possible," he added.Meanwhile, residents have demanded accountability from the BJP leadership. "The chief minister should seek answers from his party functionaries. We expect an image makeover in a positive sense, not one that further damages the city's reputation," said Prashant Beedkar, a private professional.