DIBRUGARH, Dec 4 - Burning of garbage, dry leaves and sundry waste has been banned in the municipal areas here for almost a fortnight now. However, the executive order by the district administration remains toothless, as the police are in no mood to comply and seem unaffected by the high atmospheric pollution here, caused by smog.
Poor policing here has also resulted in rowdy public behaviour by the youths astride two- wheelers, and unacceptable morals at public places like the Lakshminath Bezbaroa Park every evening. These civic problems have been agitating the elders and concerned citizens here, and has also been discussed at length at last week�s executive committee meeting of the Dibrugarh Nagarik Sangha, informs its secretary, Ron Duarah. He said the lack of proper lighting and absence of CCTV surveillance at the public parks are primarily to blame for unacceptable moral behaviour there.
As for the dangerous smog conditions everyday here, the Sangha feels that the well meaning ban order on garbage burning in private and commercial places needs to be effectively executed by the police. The Sangha feels that the police need to round up violators of the ban order to make it effective. On the whole, poor policing in the city, whatever be the reasons, have resulted in the chaos the citizens have to live with.
For example, when loudspeakers are kept playing well beyond 10 pm, the police need to intervene and maybe even seize the equipment. The 10 pm deadline is a nationwide standing order by the Supreme Court. But even after repeated complaints, and despite the Supreme Court order, the cops seldom go to restore normalcy. And if the violator is a VIP, then the citizens have to bear it out anyway. Duarah said the Sangha wants the police to get up from its stupor and atleast enforce bare minimum measures for some semblance of normalcy in the city, especially insofar as road manners and peace and tranquility issues are concerned.
As for rampant burning of garbage by private citizens, despite the ban order by the civil administration, the Sangha feels that unless some stern measures are taken, the law breakers would continue to have a free run. Now, if the police are unable to do the needful, the Government will have to delegate powers to someone else � may be form vigilante groups with specified authorisation � for public good.
