MAHATMA GANDHI Margin Civil Lines is fast emerging as the dust bowl of the Sangam City. Commuters who have to pass through this road are gasping for fresh breath. The plague of dust is fast spreading to other adjoining areas and residents feel that they are trapped in a hell with no immediate solution to their woes in sight.

 

“I do not allow my kids to step out of the house to play and ensure that they cover their faces with clothes while on their way to school and back to home. My in-laws are suffering from allergy. The rising health care expenses are taking a toll on our budget. Meanwhile the problem has aggravated to such an extent that furniture and utensils in the house are coated with dust if we keep our windows open for a couple of minutes,” said a housewife adding “cleaning the dust is a nightmare and consumes much of her time. Standing on the road for even a minute is an agony. I need to press a cloth on my nose, but still end up breathing in dust; similarly, crossing the road is also an ordeal as dust kicked up by passing vehicles reduces visibility.”

 

“Very often, I am unable to figure out what is on the other side. Once I had a close shave with a car coming from the opposite direction but still got knocked down by a rickshaw,” revealed another housewife whose kids are studying in Bishop Johnson and Girls High School. Many of the residents are complaining about health problems, including bronchial allergy and breathing problem due to the dust particles in the air and debris of the dug up road.

 

An irked resident said that now several weeks have passed and the road has been lying in the same condition and people are falling ill due to the dust particles. He blamed unplanned digging up of roads under JNNURM for the mess and suggested that water should be sprinkled over the dust to avoid further deterioration of health.

 

The dust laden statue of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose clearly narrates the pathetic and unhealthy conditions in which residents of the city are forced to live. The dug up road, besides creating health problems is also creating trouble for the commuters. The residents cannot park their vehicles on roadsides as they are all dug up and they are forced to park them on the road itself, which creates trouble for passersby.

 

The residents even feel unsafe to drive at night,motorcycle riders passing from this route have their clothes covered with dust. Traffic jams on Mahatma Gandhi Marg are common and often lead to a ripple effect, which chokes adjoining areas of Civil Lines. The other parts of the city also present similar state of civic condition. In Kareli, the main road in front of the police station is being dug up but the ordeal has increased by leaps and bounds owing to the dust blowing across the road.

 

Residents of the area complain that it has become difficult to live here as the dust has filled every portion of their houses. Dust enters their homes even if the windows are closed. Some residents complained that their family members are suffering from respiratory ailments and it has become more difficult for us now. Situation remains more or less the same in Rambaph and Bairanha where a major portion of the road is covered by pipes leaving no space for parking. Traders are suffering huge losses as customers chose to skip these shops in the absence of any parking space.

 

As a result of this the air pollution levels are at an all- time high in the city. The dust particles of which the smaller or finer ones can be inhaled and enter the lungs and respiratory tract make people vulnerable to respiratory diseases. The coarser particles cannot be inhaled but affect the mouth, throat and nostrils; further, dust leads to irritation in eyes and throat. High dust level conditions in the city will lead to breathing problems including asthma and worsen cardiovascular ailments.

 

On the contrary, sources in the Nagar Nigam shared the concern of residents and expressed their helplessness to alleviate the woes of residents. They told that the ongoing civic work is being undertaken for the benefit of the people and soon all dugged up roads would be repaired so that people can get relief.