Minister slams civic body over Patiala’s poor sanitation, warns of stern action
Local Bodies Minister Ravjot Singh on Wednesday expressed displeasure over the poor state of sanitation in Patiala, warning civic officials of strict action if immediate steps were not taken.
During a surprise inspection of various garbage collection points in the city, the minister said he was disappointed at the bad state of cleanliness. He was accompanied by Punjab Pollution Control Board Chairperson Reena Gupta, Deputy Commissioner Preeti Yadav, Municipal Commissioner Paramvir Singh and Mayor Kundan Gogia and Senior Deputy Mayor Harinder Kohli.
The Minister visited Sanjay Colony, Sabzi Mandi Rehri Market, Bhim Colony, Old Bus Stand, Railway Station, Tafajalpura, Factory Area, Sirhind Road, Ghuman Nagar, Deep Nagar, Anand Nagar, Bhadson Road, and other areas across urban and rural Patiala constituencies.
He took on-the-spot feedback from residents and expressed dissatisfaction with the municipal officials over garbage accumulation.
“The condition is very bad—there is too much garbage all around,” Singh said. “I am really disappointed. Patiala is a historical city and I expected better. Unfortunately, the situation is deplorable. Even small municipal committees are doing a better job.”
The minister pulled up the staff and questioned the Municipal Commissioner and Mayor over the lack of sanitation. He said if the situation did not improve soon, stringent action would follow.
“This is the monsoon season. Heaps of garbage and poor sanitation can lead to diseases,” he cautioned.
Singh said he would return to the city soon for a follow-up and take feedback from locals.
The civic authorities have come under scrutiny following the diarrhoea outbreak in the region. At Alipur Araian, four people have died and over 100 have fallen ill due to diarrhoea. One person has died and 20 have taken ill at Changera village near Banur.
Patiala city, which has a projected population of over 4lakh and has 61 wards, had topped the state in Swachh Survekshan ranking in 2021 has performed abysmally bad and ranked 76 nationally with a score of 6907 out of 12,500 and 82 in the state with a score of 6,751 out of 12,500 urban local bodies (ULBs’). Failing to process the generated waste is one of the primary reasons behind poor performance.
Due to the poor segregation of dry and wet waste, 140 tonne garbage is being dumped daily at the landfill near Sanauri Adda out of which approximately 120-140 tonne of municipal waste is solid waste.
‘Too little, too late’
“While the civic body has a material recovery facility to process segregated waste, nearly 90 per cent of the waste generated is typically dumped at an open landfill,” said the Bharatiya Janata Party leader Jai Inder Kaur, who has been raising the issue of poor sanitation in the city.
“I welcome Dr. Ravjot’s visit to Patiala — but let’s be honest, it’s too little, too late,” Kaur said, adding. “For over three and a half years, the AAP government has completely ignored the condition of Patiala, and now that the city is reeling under a cleanliness crisis, they are trying to save face.”
The leader lambasted the government for Patiala’s disgraceful fall to 82nd place in the Swachh Survekshan rankings, calling it a reflection of total administrative collapse. “Patiala has been turned into a giant garbage dump, and neither the local MLA nor the Municipal Corporation has lifted a finger to fix the mess,” she said.
Patiala