Saidpur Village again faces cleanliness issues

Islamabad : Scenic Saidpur Village is again becoming a garbage heap only within a few weeks after the completion of the cleanliness campaign that had restored its natural beauty.

According to the details, the local people along with shopkeepers, traders, and visitors are again throwing their solid waste on roads, footpaths, and nullah in sheer violation of the directives of the civic agency that is responsible for the cleanliness of the city. Unfortunately, there are no strict laws to punish those people who never follow the directives and throw trash and litter anywhere in the locality.

The residents of this area have also not formed any committee to keep vigil over the cleanliness of the area otherwise such committees extend their cooperation to the local authorities and help implement their plans and policies. The official record showed that the district administration imposed fines last year up to Rs25,000 and also arrested those persons who were involved in throwing litter and trash at undesignated places in the capital city.

Gulzeb Kiyani, a local resident, said “I think we cannot control this violation unless the civic agency starts penalizing those who are still littering and throwing garbage everywhere in the area. The cleanliness campaign was launched a few weeks back to clean nullah and streets and restore the natural beauty of this area.” Malik Ilyas, another resident, said, “The visitors should also act responsibly and avoid throwing plastic bottles, wrappers, and other solid waste material on roads and streets.”

An official said “The Saidpur Village is a tourist place so it is highly important to maintain its natural green character. But there are some issues that will be resolved in coordination with the local people.” He said, “The local traders are cooperating with the civic agency and they are not throwing their solid waste into the nullah.”