During my last visit to my native village Dhama, Lala Musa in Gujrat district of Punjab, I was pleasantly surprised to see that the entire village looked a lot cleaner than it used to be. There was no sign of plastic bags floating in the air. The streets were clean and tidy. I was also surprised to see trash cans placed at suitable places for people to dispose of the household garbage in an appropriate manner. According to residents, the local councillor has been instrumental in bringing this welcome change to the village. I talked to the councillor who told me that with the limited funds he received from the municipality he arranged for a rickshaw with a small trolley for the collection and disposal of the garbage.
However, he complained that there are still many families who don’t dispose of their garbage in trash cans. It will take some time to educate the residents about how to keep their respective areas clean. What the councillor has done is a good example that should be followed by other political leaders who do nothing to resolve the issue.
Cdre Sajjad (r) Ali Shah Bokhari
Islamabad