Convener News Desk
Bandipora, Sept 8: A glaring contradiction has surfaced between official reports and ground realities in Onagam village of north Kashmir’s Bandipora district, raising serious questions over the implementation of rural sanitation and solid waste management schemes.
Following a report in Kashmir Convener last month highlighting the abrupt halt of door-to-door waste collection in Onagam, new evidence suggests that official submissions to higher authorities may have misrepresented the situation.
According to a recent report submitted by the Block Development Officer (BDO) to the Assistant Commissioner Panchayat (ACP) Bandipora, door-to-door waste collection in Onagam “runs as usual” and all collected waste is being transported to nearby Panchayat facilities for scientific disposal.
However, residents across different mohallas of the village have strongly refuted the claim.
“There has been no door-to-door garbage collection in our locality for months now. People are either dumping waste in open spaces or burning it in their backyards,” a local resident told Kashmir Convener.
A woman from Ward 1 of Onagam A expressed deep concern over the sanitation situation. “If the government says there is door-to-door collection, they should come and see our lanes themselves,” she said.
Residents accuse the BDO of misinforming higher authorities, calling it “not just misgovernance but a public health concern.” They have urged the administration to immediately deploy designated vehicles and staff for regular waste collection to prevent further health hazards.
The discrepancy between reported data and actual services has sparked outrage, raising questions about accountability in the implementation of the Swachh Bharat Mission (Gramin) in Bandipora. Similar complaints have emerged from other villages, suggesting a possible pattern of poor execution and underreporting.
Last month’s coverage by Kashmir Convener had initially brought the suspension of waste collection to public attention, prompting assurances from the BDO that the service would resume. With residents now claiming that no action has been taken, the administration faces renewed pressure to address both the sanitation crisis and the apparent misreporting.
The issue in Onagam is not an isolated case. Similar complaints have surfaced from other villages in Bandipora, suggesting a wider problem in the implementation of rural waste management systems.
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