The lack of regular cleaning has created a filthy atmosphere and an increase in Garbage heaps on main roads, vacant plots and in market parking areas, across the city.

Shopkeepers say that sanitation workers sometimes fail to show up for an entire month.

Dalbir Saini, a shopkeeper in Sector 71 market, said, “No sanitation worker has come to our market for the past 25 days.”

Ish Kumar, a trader from Phase 5, added, “Earlier the cleaning was done before the market opened, but now workers arrive very late. By then vehicles are already parked, so the parking area remains dirty. We request that cleaning be done early, as before.”

Mahabir Singh Dhillon, a property consultant from Phase 3B2, complained that “garbage heaps remain unattended and continue to rot, but no sanitation worker comes to clean the area”.

Visitors to the Nature Park are also troubled by trash scattered along the main road. Those who frequently come out for morning walks said, “The rotting garbage stinks,” and demanded strict action against those dumping waste at public places.

Deputy Mayor demands action

Deputy Mayor Kuljit Singh Bedi has written to the Municipal Commissioner, urging immediate action. “Uncollected garbage is rotting in markets, creating a serious health hazard for citizens,” the letter read.

“The overgrown weeds on footpaths are becoming a breeding ground for dangerous

creatures,” he wrote in the letter, adding that people out for walks are also facing difficulty.

Bedi wrote that the previous municipal meeting discussed the issue but “no improvement has been seen yet”. The letter also stated that “either the contractor’s payment should be cut by 25 per cent or the contract should be cancelled and a new option be explored”.

The Deputy Mayor also expressed hope that the Municipal Corporation administration will act swiftly and take effective steps to improve the city’s sanitation system.