Malu Kerni
The Ranbir Canal which is going to reopen on the eve of Baisakhi by the Irrigation and Flood Control Department speaks itself about the dismal condition of the state canals.
The Irrigation Department, in a departure from the annual practice, will release water in the Ranbir Canal and its distributaries on the Baisakhi tomorrow without finishing out the desilting work. Even if at some portions desilting has been carried out by the concerned agencies but there is nothing wrong in saying that it is mere eyewash.
A thick carpet of trash, garbage, unwanted waste remain in the canal, the smell is so repellent that one cannot stand for a couple of minutes at the place. The less said about the swarms of mosquitoes that hover over your head the better, it completes a picture of official neglect on the part of concerned department responsible for de-silting of the canal.
Attempts of the authorities to clean the canal remain a dream as the garbage dumped is always more than what need to be removed before water is being released.
Residents accuse the authorities for being totally indifferent to their problems; the authorities too have their own complaints against residents. The present civic scenario is leading to apprehensions amongst the local population who fear the present unhygienic conditions in the canal taking a toll on the health conditions of their children.
Mixed with sewage and muck, the canal flows in summers extending from Akhnoor to the tail end of Bhagwati Nagar, Talab Tillo, Gajansoo, Trikuta Nagar, Satwari and other interior areas of the city and beyond.
Sunita Koul, a resident of Shakti Nagar, said, “For the past four years, I have been daily going for morning walk at the Canal Park on Akhnoor Road. Countless people visit this park. I have seen many times people disposing of filth and garbage into the river. Now it’s just few days left when water is released in the canal but one can see the actual condition of it. No proper desilting has been done. This garbage will now pollute the water. No responsibility is shown towards the maintenance and cleanliness of the canal by the concerned agencies. Year by year the process continues making the canal a garbage dumping site and then a mosquito breeding place.”
Vijay Zutshi, a resident of Paloura said, “I do agree that people lack a sense of responsibility and belongingness towards the natural resources and we do not value the abundant natural wealth. But I think the department concerned should deal the issue with sternness. Defaulters must be punished and strict enforcement of law should be there. I strongly believe that this would surely help to put a check on the discharge of waste into the canal.”
The canal branches off from the Chenab at Akhnoor, 32 km away, and is important source of irrigation to farmers in the region during the dry season. It is also a major attraction for people during the hot and dry months of summer. There is also a small garden along the canal which runs through the city outskirts. But due to the lackadaisical approach of the concerned authorities the canal is losing its glory.
