The Central Government-sponsored Swacch Bharat drive and the war against mosquitoes by the State Government have hardly made a noticeable impact on cleanliness and sanitation in Kurnool city.
While the programmes were launched with fanfare with the participation of political leaders and officials, one can see the garbage dumps and filth and groups of oversized pigs roaming in the Budhawarapet area, a stone’s throw from Kurnool Collectorate.
The appalling sanitation is evident with piles of garbage, hundreds of coconut shells, stagnant water and pigs enjoying the surroundings, that too, in a street having over a dozen private clinics and hospitals. There is no change in the situation despite the government campaigns, as officials are concentrating on cleaning only the main roads, but not the internal roads and the areas inhabited by slums, said a local woman Mangamma. Asked about the war against mosquitoes, she said she had no idea of fogging in the area for long.
The roads are swept and garbage cleared in a huff when some leaders and senior officials visit it, but not on a regular basis, Ms. Mangamma complained.
The district officials and leaders should visit different areas every week and monitor the cleanliness drive, rather than merely airing statements, she added.
