Tarzoo residents demand school fencing

The residents of the Tarzoo area of Sopore in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district have urged the authorities to construct a boundary wall of the Government High School Ningli as the absence of a boundary wall poses a threat to the safety of the students.

The locals said that wild animals are often spotted in the area and there were chances that wild animals might attack the students.

“The parents are worried over the functioning of the school without a boundary wall,” said Ghulam Hassan, a local. “We have often spotted leopards and bears in the area. Therefore, the safety of the students is a huge concern for the locals here.”

The residents here said that there are over 130 students enrolled in the school.

They said that despite several representations to the authorities, the fencing of the school had not been given any priority.

With the result, the students are at the receiving end.

They said that the absence of the fence had also encouraged some youth involved in drug addiction to use the premises for unwanted activities.

As such, the authorities need to construct the protective wall on a priority basis so that the school premises are not misused by the drug addicts.

“We urge the authorities to ensure a protective wall of the school is constructed on a priority basis. Otherwise, it will affect the atmosphere of the school due to the interference of the outsiders,” said Ghulam Rasool, a local.

MC Baramulla faces criticism for mishandling garbage collection

The Municipal Council Baramulla is facing severe criticism as despite its recent initiative to collect garbage from the doorsteps of the residences and later dispose it of properly, some workers of the Municipal Council Baramulla are disposing of garbage in abandoned houses courtyards and roadsides, leading to inconvenience to the locals.

As per the locals, under the garbage collection from doorsteps initiative, the Municipal Council Baramulla began collecting waste from households, charging residents a fee for the service. The initiative has been welcomed by the locals, however, some of the ‘Safai Karamcharis’ of the Municipal Council Baramulla are seen keeping piles of garbage in the colony at a particular place and later the same garbage is being lifted through a vehicle of the department next morning which causes severe inconvenience to the locals here.

The residents of Kanlibagh Baramulla have raised concerns about the Municipal Council's approach to garbage disposal.

They said that when a garbage collection vehicle is already operating in the area, why were some ‘Safai Karamcharis’ of the Municipal Council Baramulla disposing of waste in the courtyards of the abandoned houses?

They said that the ‘illegal’ disposal of the waste in a residential area is creating severe inconvenience to the locals here as piles of garbage have resulted in an increase in the stray dog population in the area.

Besides, close to the spot, a private school is running and if the garbage disposal is not stopped from the area, it could harm the school-going children.

“Accumulating garbage near an abandoned house within the colony has attracted stray dogs to the area, posing a significant challenge to the daily lives of the locals besides the school-going kids. The practice needs to be stopped immediately so that people of the area do not feel scared to venture out from their houses,” said a local.

Manzoor Ahmad, another Kanlibagh resident, lamented the increasing population of stray dogs near the garbage accumulation spot.

He questioned the need for this practice when garbage collection vehicles were available to transport waste from residential areas.

In light of these issues, locals have called upon the Baramulla district administration to address the situation promptly and provide relief to the locals here.

The improper disposal of garbage is not only a health hazard but also disrupts the peaceful lives of residents in the area.

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