A stinking act

This time, the residents in Paramhans Nagar, Kothrud, have put their foot down on unkept promises. They have individually put up boards o...

This time, the residents in Paramhans Nagar, Kothrud, have put their foot down on unkept promises. They have individually put up boards outside their respective houses banning entry of all political campaigners. This is their way of protesting against the election fever, wherein politicians as always make hoards of promises, fulfiling none.

The Ramakrishana Paramhans Nagar Action Committee RPNAC has taken up this cause against the Kothrud garbage depot which lies on the periphery of this colony. This colony of Paramhans Nagar consisting of 87 to 89 individual societies have had for the past 25 years, a perpetual foul stench, from the garbage, which gives rise to diseases, water and air pollution and it looks like it is to stay forever. Prabhakar Dandwate, President of RPNAC, says how they have been cheated and disappointed by the civil authorities since the last fifteen years, when the RPNAC was first incorporated. All their morchas8217;, applications and pleadings to the civil authorities, in the past, have been of no avail.

Padma Mehta, a resident of Shikshak Nagar in Paramhans Nagar, speaks of how due to elections being round the corner, last minute cleaning of garbage from the vicinity and spraying of disinfectants has been carried out. She calls this method of their8217;s, temporary pacification of the agitation and frustration of the residents. The apathy of the civil authorities has totally disillusioned them as far as expecting any sort of aid. Dandwate says that the basic problem is the administration who have absolutely no sense of planning.

Their constant suffering has lead them to this latest means of protest. After this measure no political campaigner has dared to step into their premises yet. This they say is an achievement in its own and gives them immense satisfaction. This being their only motto behind the whole exercise, as time has taught them not to trust and expect anything from the administration. This time they are only going to bank on the legal justice system of the country they have an ongoing case in the High Court for the past two years.

They insist that while practising their right to protest, they will also vote, no matter what. Their grievances against the administration have lead to this novel way of protest, but voting is their right, which shall not be compromised.

As mentioned earlier, the ever-growing nuisance of the garbage depot continues, but has been temporarily nipped and window dressed, so as to gather favourable political opinion. This, according to P.K.Kulkarni, Chief Secretary of RPNAC, has lead to an ironical joke, going around in the colony quot;Mashia ikadoun kuthe gele? Yaa varshi, thode divsaa sathi te aplya la disnar nahi karan te sagadae nivadnuki chay prachara sathi gele ahat!quot; Where have these flies disappeared? They have temporarily gone campaigning for the elections!.