Balurghat garbage piles have disrupted Durga Puja in parts of the South Dinajpur town, with residents reporting that waste remained uncleared for days along roadsides and near densely populated neighbourhoods across several of the municipality’s 25 wards.
The accumulated waste has created a foul smell for residents and passersby, while large crowds gathered in different parts of the town during the festival. Residents said the irregular collection had made movement and daily life more difficult, particularly in areas where garbage heaps were close to homes and public routes.
“With large crowds gathering in various parts of the town during the Durga Puja, the presence of garbage heaps along the roadsides causes significant hardship for the public,” resident Sulekha Sarkar said. She added that the stench had increased the discomfort of people living nearby and said the civic body should have paid greater attention to cleanliness during the festive period.
Residents have demanded regular waste collection and pointed to the increased footfall during the celebrations as a reason for maintaining streets and public spaces more consistently. The complaints place the focus on the municipality’s ability to adjust routine waste-removal arrangements during periods when public movement and waste generation increase.
The condition has also drawn criticism from Opposition parties. The Left expressed dissatisfaction with the civic services, while the BJP accused the Trinamool Congress-run municipality of failing to discharge its responsibilities. BJP district president Swarup Chowdhury said the civic board should have made additional arrangements for waste removal during the Puja season.
Chowdhury said BJP workers had taken to the streets before the festivities to help clean the town. “However, we can’t handle everything ourselves; that is precisely why the municipality exists,” he said. The comments underline the political criticism directed at the civic administration over the disruption, while the residents’ complaints centre on the continued presence of waste near populated areas and roads.
Balurghat municipality chairman Surajit Saha attributed the disruption in waste collection to the festive mood. “Everyone is in a festive mood. Efforts to clear the city’s trash and clean up the area will begin shortly,” he said.
The chairman’s statement indicates that the municipality intends to begin clearing the accumulated waste after the reported interruption. The immediate civic task is to remove the garbage from the affected roadsides and neighbourhoods and restore regular collection in the town’s wards, according to the municipality’s stated plan.
