Team Herald
PONDA: Fed up of complaining to and frustrated with the inaction of various authorities against the garbage dumping along the road at Antruznagar Society in Curti, the locals have taken the matters into their own hands to solve the issue.
First, they cleaned up the garbage along the road; second, have started patrolling the area 24 hours a day and now have put up banners welcoming the visitors to the village and simultaneously warning them not to dump garbage along the road.
The warning banner reads that the locals are tired of complaining to the police and the panchayat, as such, if anyone is found throwing garbage on the road there, the locals themselves would take action against the offenders.
Cautioning the potential offenders that the area is under 24-hour surveillance, the banner bluntly warns the potential offenders to be ready to face stone pelting while dumping garbage in the area.
Before the Antruznagar residents to the matters into their own hands, there was rampant dumping of garbage along the road for a distance of around 200 meters. The accumulated waste even began emanating stench which, as months rolled on, became unbearable.
Locals are angry at government authorities for their alleged failure to curb dumping of waste in their locality by Ponda market vendors, tailors, chicken vendors and other passersby.
Locals say that each household is paying Rs 60 per month to the panchayat for door-to-door collection of garbage, but the passersby get rid of their garbage without any cost by dumping them under the cover of darkness at Antruznagar. To prevent dumping of garbage, the locals have decided to guard the locality till late night by taking turns.
