C M Sharma
Jammu, March 27. May be, because of the inadequate men and material resources with the concerned municipal authorities in Jammu, the administration has been unable to provide adequate necessary arrangements for collection and disposal of trash and waste left after immersing the Holy Sakh by thousands of devotees in the rivers and canals of Jammu, on the concluding ninth day of the Vasant Navratri.
Strenuous efforts were made by a number of voluntary organizations like Paryavaran Sanrakshan Gatividhi, BhuMitr Foundation, Tawi Andolan and many individual volunteers of Jammu also, to motivate and prevent people from immersion of plastics, polythene and other trash into these pious water bodies on the day. It was a matter of some comfort to see hundreds of awakened and aware citizens not throwing the wastes, residues, garbage and trash into the Tawi River and Ranbir Canal, but because of the scarcity of waste collection bins and inadequate disposal mechanisms, even the aware and conscious people could do nothing, but leave these on the banks and ghats of the rivers and canals. Ultimately, the fate of these will be decided by the winds and the stray dogs, cattle, crows and the rats.
The concerned government authorities and the civil society, educational and religious institutions need to come together and stand up to such occasions. Further, there is an urgent need for a sustained campaign to mobilise public opinion and make every effort, not only at the government level, but also starting from homes and family level for segregation of solid, liquid, decomposable, non decomposable wastes etc, and actively cooperate to keep our blessed city of Jammu and the entire region and the Union Territory of J&K, neat, clean and beautiful.
