JOIN USSwaccha Mysore! but where??
Recently, the Union Ministry of Urban Development awarded Mysore City Corporation second cleanest city for maintaining cleanliness and managing disposal of solid waste management effectively. If any of the union government representatives had visited areas adjoining ward number 39 in Mysore City Corporation, they would have been shocked to see solid waste management falling flat on its face, exposing the ineptitude of people concerned. Heaps of garbage piled up on the sides of the roads, urination in open appears as a routine problem for people. The government schools in this ward are in most unhygeinic state. Students have to attend the schools amid foul smell emanating from poor under ground drainage system, lack of cleanliness, lack of common sense among residents. There are instances that teachers of this ward government schools have fought against people urinating in front of schools.
Interestingly, though the public toilet is constructed on Pulakeshi main road, people continue with their habit of urinating near the roads and have never used public toilet to save their own dignity.
This ward comprises oldest residential areas with major population concentration in city. Areas like Pulakeshi road, parts of Sawdey road and K T street, Kailaspuram slum, Mohammad Dewan Khan road, Sajjad Ali Street, Benki Nawab street, Akbar road, Sunny chowk among others come under the ward limits. The total number of voters are around 12000 and population is about 30,000. Muslims dominate the ward, along with a smattering of Hindus in Kailaspuram, KT Street. Sunanada Kumar, an independent corporator (now supporting JD(S)), represents this ward in MCC. Previously, he had been elected on Congress ticket from the same ward.
Illiteracy dominates this ward, with the literacy rate registered between 12 and 15 per cent. The rest belong to labour class, and are mostly illiterates. People are engaged in agarbathi making, working as labourers in construction of buildings, some are vendors of vegetables and other essentials. Majority of the residents work at scrap iron and plastic units. Infact, this ward is famous for scrap material garages, iron and steel material made out of scrap materials are available at cheapest price in the city, at this ward.
Innumerable garages, wood and timber work shops are found in every nook and corner of this ward. This ward is a honeytrap for poor people and lower middle class residents of Mysore city to purchase scrap materials. The very scrap yard is responsible for garbage piling up everywhere in the ward, claim residents. The shop owners dump scrap materials by roadside. Even, the Mysore City Corporation has not taken any steps to put up dustbins, waste containers in this ward to rid it of the waste materials. Infact, The unhygenic and mindless dumping of waste worries the ward corportor Sunanda Kumar who expressed his helplessness as his ward is neglected by MCC. His grouse is that adequate number of garbage cleaners, pourakarmikas have not been assigned to this ward. This ward is also famous for masjid such as Edgah, Dargah-e- masjid, Arafat masjid and others where muslim brethren hold mass prayers. There are not many complaints from public about drinking water supply except some corners of MKDK road and Sajjad Ali street. Ruksana Begum of the ward complained about beef being sold in open on MKDK road as a result of which beef shops are located close to residential areas, emanating stench. The residents of MKDK road demanded MCC to shift them to alternate places. As far as UGD repair complaints in other wards of old residential layouts are concerned, this ward is also facing the same problem. Lack of space for development of parks, schools and colleges worries residents.
Speaking to City Herald, ward corporator Sunanda Kumar said majority of funds used for construction of community halls, houses for beneificiries under Gruhabhagya, training on driving for unemployed youths under various schemes of the government, setting up computer applications training centre, tailoring centre for unemployed woman and other welfare programmes.