Visakhapatnam: Wading through stink, parents drop their wards to Anganwadi centre
Garbage dumped at the Anganwadi centre, Lakshminagar village in Ravikamatham Mandal
Visakhapatnam: At a time when thecleanliness drivegains prominence across the country, an Anganwadi centre at Ravikamatham mandal paints a picture of contrast.
Indiscriminate dumping of garbage near the Anganwadi centre at Lakshminagar village has turned into a hazardous zone for the children, staff and residents.
Heaps of waste are often dumped at the Anganwadi centre and parents find it extremely difficult to drop their wards to the premises, wading through an unbearable stench.
Lack of a dumping yard in the mandal has resulted in converting this piece of area into a temporary dump yard.
Children, pregnant women and lactating mothers are prone to vector-borne and seasonal diseases.
Despite their repeated pleas, the locals say that officials did not pay any heed to their problem. "Though an acre of land with a survey number: 338/2 was earmarked for the dumping yard in the gram panchayat of Ravikamatham mandal, no action is being taken by the officials so far to look into the same," rues JCHS Patnaik, a resident of Ravikamatham village.
Since the environment is surrounded by heaps of waste, it is affecting the health of the children and the staff of Anganwadi centre along with those residing close to the place.
Earlier, the locals had approached the District Collector to address the issue. "Though the Collector directed the revenue and panchayat authorities to take necessary action, the problem continues to persist," laments K Govinda Rao, district secretariat member of CPI (M).
As the issue remains unresolved, Andhra Pradesh Women's Association State President B Prabhavathi says, protests have been staged to draw the attention of the officials but in vain. "People here continue to suffer as mounds of garbage are dumped near the Anganwadi centre. Unfortunately, the centre attracts mosquitoes and rodents more than the children," she points out.The residents here urge that the officials should consider serious steps to resolve the problem and set up a dumping yard at the earliest so that they can be free of the stench and lead a healthy life.