When Sandhu was asked to shift garbage dump to his ward

Ludhiana: In an embarrassment to the ruling Congress, party MLA Rakesh Pandey held a sit-in protest against the municipal corporation represented by mayor Balkar Sandhu for not acting on the complaint of Haibowal residents regarding removal of a garbage dump at a roadside along Buddha Nullah.

The residents of Shakti Vihar colony in Haibowal, led by Pandey and Congress councillor Harvinder Pal Singh, blocked the road leading to Buddha Nullah bridge for about two hours. The situation aggravated when Pandey, who represents Ludhiana (North), called up mayor Sandhu and asked him to come to the site to hear residents’ problems. Pandey also claimed that the mayor was biased and was focusing on the development of only a specific area.

The residents had been raising the matter of a garbage dump at the road alongside Buddha Nullah for last over two years due to which a large portion of the road remains blocked most of the time. They also complained that stray cattle moved around the garbage dump.

Due to the road blockage by protesters, there were heated arguments among protesters and commuters. Cops tried to remove the protesters from the spot. The zonal commissioner Neeraj Jain, medical officer, health, DR Vipul Malhotra, sanitary inspector Ashwani Sahota also reached the spot and requested the MLA to end the protest. But when he refused to budge, mayor Sandhu finally reached the venue. Even after mayor’s request, Pandey did not end the protest and instead asked him to join in. Agitated residents too cornered Sandhu and blamed municipal corporation for its apathy. Mayor’s argument that the garbage bin was catering to five wards and he had no alternate place to shift him were ignored and some residents asked him to shift the garbage dump to his own ward.

Later, it was decided that the garbage dump would be removed from the roadside and another point near Buddha Nullah will be allotted for disposal of garbage of two wards. When contacted, mayor Sandhu however refused from commenting on the entire incident.