As soon as he boards off a cab at Batapora bus stand in south Kashmir’s Shopian town, Riyaz Ahmad masks his face with a cloth due the nauseating smell emanating from the mounds of garbage lying in the area.
Ahmad, a businessman by profession said that a rancid odour pervades the air throughout the day. “One cannot stand here for a minute due to the foul smell coming from the waste,” he said.
The bus stand has turned into a new garbage site causing inconveniences to the people.
In January, when the district received heavy snowfall, authorities drove mounds of snow along with muck from across the town and dumped it in the bus stand.
The waste has occupied a significant portion of the stand.
“Since mid January, the waste is lying here and now the place has become a new garbage dumping site for many,” said Mubashir Ahmad, a local.
Many residents said that the garbage had become a feasting ground for stray dogs.
“You can see the pack of stray dogs near the garbage. It has become difficult for children and women to pass by the area,” said another resident.
The residents also complained of the lack of garbage bins in the area.
“It is perhaps the only town where one cannot find garbage bins,” said Javed Ahmad, a local businessman.
Executive Officer, Municipal Council Shopian, Muhammad Ismail told Greater Kashmir that the process of lifting the garbage from the area had already been started.