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Written by: Sadaf Khursheed

Category: ENVIRONMENT

Published: 25 December 2017

BARAMULLA: At this time when whole of India is being cleaned under Swach Bharat Abhiyan, toilets are being made, new ways to recycle waste are being taught, movies like Toilet is being made, Kashmir for no reason is being neglected and Sopore being no exception. As one enters the town, garbage heaps of it can be seen greeting people everywhere be it main market Sopore or the commercial hub Iqbal market. Shopkeepers of the area allege that due to the stink coming from accumulated garbage people avoid coming to their shops.Muncipal council lifts the garbage from the whole town and dumps it near Girls and boys higher secondaries, outside Mother and child care hospital and various other palces.Due to the lack of dumping site in the town which voices state is again a political game being played with the people as they do not cast their votes.

“A foul smell emanates from the garbage lying in open and it has made our lives difficult”, said Mohd Ramzan a local shopkeeper. Not only the main market but the banks of river Jehlum have also been polluted by the same garbage as the garbage is dumped on the banks also. Talking to Kashmir News Bureau   over phone Executive officer Municipal council Syed Mateen said that “they have taken up this matter with District Commisner  Baramulla and they will find a new dumping site soon as this whole problem is because we don’t have a proper dumping site available ,further on the issue he said that he is making sure that the interiors of the town remain clean and tidy and their team is making every possible effort not to dump garbage in the market, and dumping garbage on the banks of Jehlum has also been stopped now”.

Pertinently, during summer times it becomes even more difficult to walk from the market as there are mosquitoes and some other insects that keep on lying on the garbage. Even what is more frightening is that packs of dogs roam around these heaps and people mostly children feel terrified walking on the road. Some years back a dumping site was identified at Tulibal Sopore but for unknown reasons it was shifted to Aadipora Sopore but this place is also facing opposition from the people. When contacted MLA Sopore Abdul Rashid Dar he said that “he will be taking up the matter in Assembly and hopefully this matter will be resolved in two to three months.”