Garbage dumps outside JVC  hospital worry for patients 

Kashmir Age Report

Srinagar, Feb 23: Hundreds of local residents and patients were up against the Srinagar Municipal Corporations (SMC) authorities for failing to clear garbage in front of JVC hospital here in Bemina, due to which they face health problems.

JVC is medical college of Sher-I-Kashmir institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS) and a hospital located in Bemina Srinagar.

A group of locals told Kashmir Age that there are lot of vehicles which are unloading their waste material, irking local residents as well as patients going to hospital.

They said solid waste including plastic bags, polythene, domestic bags, and residents from other areas also throw waste near the hospital.

“Patients from different areas come here for treatment but the garbage in front of the hospital has put their health on risk,’’, said a patient Dilshada Banoo.

She said due to this garbage patients avoid walking on the main road because the garbage has become headache for them.

Another local resident Sharif Ud Din of Chinar colony Bemina said, “It is difficult to walk outside the JVC road due to the bad smell emanating from the garbage.”

He said due to this bad smell they face health issues.

Locals residents also alleged that despite repeated attempts the administration has failed to address the problem. They said garbage piles have increased the population of stray dogs, which is posing a threat especially to children and elderly persons.

“Due to this threat we do not attend morning and evening prayers,” said Shameem Ahmad, another local resident.

Locals alleged that the SMC officials are silent on this issue.

Residents of other areas also complained that the SMC employees only come once a week with result the garbage emanating from the localities is on roads and dust bins are not cleared regularly.

The residents however complained that waste is  deliberately thrown outside the hospital. They said the garbage load carrier come once in two days and sometimes forget to clear the road for days together.

“The garbage and dead animals surrounded by stray dogs pose grave threat to the pedestrians. The pungent smell emanating from the garbage and animal caracasses is making the walk even more difficult,” said Lateef Ahmad, a local.

Scattered garbage is all over the area, particularly opposite hospital road, causing massive inconvenience to the patients and attendants. Piles of unattended garbage can also be seen on inside the residential colonies of Bemina.

The mounds of home waste, plastic bags, bottles, and even construction waste are lying at a number of places. The pedestrians and motorists pass through the heaps of garbage.

The garbage thrown mostly includes food waste which badly stinks leaving a pungent smell. During the rains, the problem aggravates as the stink reaches inside residential houses, schools and religious institutions.

The residents said they made ‘repeated attempts’ to raise the matter with the authorities who have turned deaf ears towards the issue.

They said that they had lodged complaints with the concerned on many occasions but they fell on deaf ears.

When contacted a senior SMC official denied the allegations made by the locals and patients. “The sanitation drive is regularly taking place in the area and there is no scope of any recklessness,” he said.