Pulwama, Sept 27: Residents of Koil and its adjoining villages in South Kashmir’s Pulwama district are frustrated over the disruption of solid waste collection services, which according to them have been halted for over a month.
The villagers are urging authorities to resume the service, which they say was vital for maintaining cleanliness in their homes and surroundings.
Rizwan Ahmad, a resident of Koil village, told Rising Kashmir that the Rural Development Department (RDD) had initiated door-to-door waste collection services, which had been running smoothly until recently.
“The garbage collection vans used to visit daily, collecting waste for a nominal monthly fee,” he said, adding that the service benefited many households by discouraging improper waste disposal.
However, Ahmad said the vans have been absent for over a month, forcing residents to dump waste in local water streams and along roadsides.
“This disruption has created a major problem, with garbage now accumulating in the open,” he added.
The cause of the disruption remains unclear to the residents, who are demanding the immediate resumption of the service, fearing environmental degradation if it continues.
Parvaiz Ahmad Wani, a driver of one of the garbage collection vans, revealed that he was instructed by his contractor to stop operations after receiving orders from RDD officials.
Wani’s vehicle was responsible for waste collection in 12 halqas, including Koil, Pathan, Payar, Tengpuna, Maspuna, Naira, and Tahab. According to Wani, four vehicles in total were ordered to halt operations.
Block Development Officer, Pulwama, Zahoor Ahmad Hadi, explained that the contract with the company hired for waste collection had expired.
“We couldn’t invite fresh quotations due to the prevailing Model Code of Conduct (MCC),” he said, assuring that the hiring process would be completed once the MCC is lifted.
He assured that an interim arrangement would be made from Saturday to ensure villagers do not have to suffer.
