Kishtwar Municipal Committee Comes Under Scanner

Kishtwar Municipal Committee (KMC), responsible for the civic maintenance of one of the largest towns in the State is in the dock for the poor sanitation in Kishtwar. The municipal body, which should be looking after the municipal arrangements in the town, is, in fact, itself accused of encroachment, as a result of which it has been drawing flak from various quarters of civil society.
Kishtwar’s 13 municipal wards are not only suffering for lack of sweepers but also stray animals, particularly dogs.
The number of sweepers engaged with the KMC is inadequate and had been engaged in services decades back, since when no fresh appointments have been made. Most of those engaged quite some time back have either retired or left the job. As a result, piles of garbage can be seen lying around in most of the municipal wards and drainage system is choked, simply due to insufficient number of employees to take care of the cleanliness.
Another major problem, which the town residents have to face, is that of stray animals, who can be seen roaming in packs all over the town, threatening people, especially the children and the infirm. There have also been incidents where these stray dogs have attacked school-going children, who often return to their homes unattended in the afternoon, when most of the people stay indoors.
The KMC has also not been able to construct a single public urinal for the town, even though, there is a considerable movement of people through the town. As a result, roadsides and walls bear testimony to the lack of urinal facility.
The public is fed up with the dilly-dallying attitude of the municipal officials, who have simply ignored the repeated public complaints with regard to the issues expressed above.
But, as if, its inactivity was not enough, the Municipal body has allegedly also encroached a portion of the land on which the Kishtwar District Hospital stands. Moreover, the KMC has raised concrete structures on the encroached portion of land and has been renting these structures to shopkeepers. This means, that despite being an encroacher on the land, the KMC has also been collecting revenue for the same.
On his part, Municipal Committee President Shabir Ahmed Kamal replied that the body had written to the higher authorities a number of times, asking for funds to engage more sweepers. However, the higher echelons of power refused to take note of the requests.
Regarding encroachment in the hospital land, Kamal said that he is unaware about it and will check the revenue papers. He assured that if the KMC shops were found to be built on hospital land, the shops would be demolished. Despite all the assurances and explanations, the matter of KMC failing in its duties still hangs fire.