Poor sanitation and the Simian threat make life tough for the locals

One of the significant wards in the Palampur Municipal Corporation is Ward No. 5, which is home to colonial homes and vacation destinations. It was a part of the Aima panchayat before the establishment of the Municipal Corporation. The ward includes the region between Neugal Café and Kali Bari Temple.

Similar to other wards, not much has changed in this area since the MC was formed. On the other hand, regular house-to-house rubbish collection has resulted in better sanitary conditions. Many civic, Army, and other authorities have favored the ward for settlement because of its closeness to Palampur town. In the last several years, the ward’s population has grown exponentially as well.

The majority of these colonies’ occupants are compelled to live in appalling conditions. Residents are irritated by issues such as streets and roads full of potholes, overflowing sewers, and tainted drinking water.

The stench of open restrooms often makes it impossible for commuters and bystanders to traverse the area. There are many toilets that either lack septic tanks or have leaky tanks, allowing contaminated water to enter nearby waterways and endangering public health.

Many of the internal roadways are still in poor condition, despite the Palampur MC having installed paver tiles in parts of the villages.

Concerning factors include improperly parked cars and small-road traffic congestion. When a person doesn’t have access to parking at their house, they often leave their cars parked on the side of the road, which causes traffic congestion and inconveniences commuters.

Another significant issue in this ward is the threat posed by stray animals. Numerous people who live here, particularly kids, have been harmed by monkey attacks. There are no plans in place by the city authority to curb the threat posed by simians. Free-ranging and aggressive, monkeys are causing damage to kitchen gardens and rooftop water tanks by assaulting humans. Many of the ladies in the area have claimed that their clothing and kitchenware are stolen by monkeys.

Many locals believe the MC should build a public parking lot in the ward due to the increasing number of cars.

Stamped water on the streets creates a stench and is very dangerous for the inhabitants’ health because of overflowing drains. The ward’s paved roadways have sustained damage from leaky drinking water lines and overflowing sewers. Lack of oversight by relevant authorities is causing a local water channel that runs through the ward to become a landfill. Given that the lower regions of Palampur rely on this water route for their drinking water, this might cause major issues.

Additionally, there is no sewage infrastructure in the ward, which results in unsanitary conditions.

Social activist and People’s Voice member Subhash Sharma, a ward resident, said that as the ward is growing quickly, the municipal organization needs to come up with a strategy to provide the people essential services. “Prioritization of the sewage system is required. In the summer, there is a scarcity of drinkable water as well, and people often lament that the water they obtain is tainted,” he said.

According to Palampur Municipal Commissioner Ashish Sharma, the municipality recently received approval for a sewerage project supported by a French organization. The project is nearing completion and will include Ward No. 5 as well. In addition, the ward’s paver tiles are being installed at the local councillor’s request. Ninety percent of the ward area, he claimed, already had solar streetlights installed.