Dibrugarh, the ‘Dirtiest City of the Country’

As we scanned the evening news on September 3 in the electronic channel, we came across a news headline that read ‘Dibrugarh has been declared the dirtiest city of the country’. Once upon a time the people of Dibrugarh felt pride living in a clean city and that was the time when the Municipality Board was led by a competent Chairman Chandra Kanta Baruah with the majority of the Ward Commissioners from the Congress party. But that is a thing of the past; and the people of Dibrugarh now have to bear the brunt of a stigma of living in “the dirtiest city of the country”. Time and again, we have raised the issue depicting the shabby picture of Dibrugarh; we even pinpointed the shabbiest areas of the city which no one can pass by without holding one’s nose because of the nauseating smell emanating from those spots.

We all know, being a BJP stronghold, Dibrugarh receives a good amount of funds for development; but what happens in reality has been reflected in the epithet bestowed on Dibrugarh by the Government of India. We criticize Congress for its corruption. Can the BJP escape the ignominy? As far as we know the political heavyweights of Dibrugarh are busy nestling their own houses and in the process if the city assumes a shabby look, who cares. Only the other day, Piyush Hazarika, the Minister of State (Health) visited Dibrugarh and held a series of meetings with the political leaders of BJP attributing specific importance to regular cleaning operation by the Municipality. But in reality what exactly happens is known to all. Incidentally, the chairperson of the municipality against whom many the BJP ward commissioners had brought a ‘No Confidence motion’ has been clinging to her post bringing an injunction from the High Court.

Ashok Bordoloi,

Dibrugarh

Also Read: Immersion of Goddess Durga idols conducted smoothly in Dibrugarh