The lanes in Arundelpet are a hub of commercial activity. Restaurants, furniture malls, and printing presses here attract a continuous stream of visitors every day. Yet, the lanes often present a picture of civic apathy.
One can find heaps of garbage strewn all over the second lane of Arundelpet, a vital road leading to the Guntur railway station, western entrance. It is a common sight to find cows feasting on pieces of garbage. As the monsoon is gaining momentum, sanitation in Guntur is going for a toss.
The situation is worse in Kothapet, Sambasivapet, dotted with hospitals and hotels.
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The poor man on the street, already exposed to dust, traffic snarls, and reckless driving, has to put up with disgusting stench emanating from overflowing garbage bins.
The tall claims of the Guntur Municipal Corporation in clearing the garbage through public participation are coming to a naught.
Huge piles of litter splattered with plastic plates are becoming a common sight in residential areas of Lakshmipuram, Chandramouli Nagar, and Krishna Nagar.
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The sanitary staff seem to have no control over the roadside vendors, who have been conveniently littering the garbage bin.
“The GMC should collect user fee from eateries and collect garbage in special vehicles. The waste from eateries is being dumped into existing dumper bins, putting a lot of pressure on their capacity,” said Movva Tirumala Rao, a resident of Chandramouli Nagar, on Tuesday.
The poor sanitation has even drawn the attention of new Collector S. Suresh Kumar, who took over as Special Officer of Guntur Municipal Corporation on Monday.
Mr. Suresh Kumar directed Municipal Commissioner K. Sudhakar to employ SHG groups to collect garbage.
He also instructed the GMC sanitary wing to encourage door-to-door collection of garbage.