RAWALPINDI: The City District Government Rawalpindi (CDGR) has turned a blind eye to heaps of garbage on the city roads and streets and in residential as well as commercial areas.

Overflowing garbage bins are a common sight all over the city, particularly in the areas adjoining the capital city.

Piles of unattended garbage can be seen in Raja Bazaar, Liaquat Road, College Road, Iqbal Road, Kashmiri Bazaar, Astabal Road, Jamia Masjid Road, Mohanpura, Ratta Amral, Dhoke Mangtal and Workshop Road.

During the visit, Dawn witnessed mounds of home waste, plastic bags, bottles, and even construction waste at a number of places all over the city.

The residents of these localities complained that the sanitary workers collected the home waste and threw it at roadsides. They said the garbage truck came once in two days.

They were of the view that stinking smell emanating from the garbage had made it very difficult to walk on the roads and streets. They said that they had lodged complaints with the departments concerned many a time but they fell on deaf ears.

Mohammad Asghar, a resident of Khanna Road, which connects Rawalpindi with Islamabad, said the uncollected garbage on the roads filled sewerage lines, as a result swage overflowed on roads making them impassable.

Mr Asghar was particularly annoyed by sanitary workers habit of burning home waste including polythene bags on the road which, he said, not only created pollution but proved irksome for asthmatic patients.

He laid the onus of this ugly picture of the city roads on sanitary department of the city district government, which, he said, was not doing its job honestly. He blamed dengue and other bacterial and viral diseases on the filth thrown by sanitary worker on roads.

Ahmed Saleem was agitated by the district government’s apathy towards unclean city roads and streets. He said that service road along Islamabad Expressway was the worst example of the lethargy of the district government.

Suhail Ali, a resident of the area, said that the service road along Islamabad Expressway was full of garbage. “The pedestrians and motorists used this road pass through the heaps of garbage,” he said.

District Officer, Solid Waste Management, Dr. Mazhar Azeem was not available for comments as he was out of country.

However, the officials, present in the department, were of the view that the administration had directed its sanitation staff to keep the city clean and lift garbage from the specific points.

They said main roads and markets were cleaned regularly after business hours.

When asked why garbage was not cleared properly as alleged by residents, they said it was not true.

“It is also the duty of residents to cooperate with the city district government and keep the city clean,” one of the officials said.

He said that there was a dire need to launch a cleanliness campaign in the city aimed at creating awareness among the people of proper disposal waste.