Jaipur's stinking truth: Cleanliness promises fail as garbage chokes city

Time of India

4 days ago

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Jaipur: The promise of a clean, beautiful Jaipur by Jaipur Municipal Corporation—Greater and Heritage—seems to exist only in official statements, as residents across the city continue to live amid garbage heaps, overflowing waste points, and a sanitation system that barely responds to complaints.
In the Walled City, narrow lanes like Mishra Raja Ji Ka Rasta have turned into permanent dumping spots. Locals even call one alley 'Gandi Gali' — the dirty lane. "I have been here for 18 years, and this garbage heap has existed just as long. The corporation never listens, and we have stopped expecting anything. During the monsoon, the stench becomes unbearable, but we have grown used to it now," said Vinod Agrawal, a shopkeeper.
Hemant Khandelwal, whose family runs a store at Mishra Raja Ji Ka Rasta for over five decades, echoed his frustration. He said, "The garbage is cleared only when a tender is floated — that too, once in six months or a year. Officers and even the mayor have visited, but nothing ever changes. Sanitation workers themselves dump the waste here instead of collecting it."
Just outside a Govt Senior Secondary School on Baba Harishchandra Marg, a heap of garbage lies untouched.
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"The garbage truck does come, but people wait until it's gone to dump their trash again. If we stop them, they pick fights," said Ram Naresh, a local vendor.
Commercial hubs are equally filthy. At Raisar Plaza, garbage has decayed into a swamp-like mess. "Sometimes the trash builds up so much that it blocks the entrance. People even urinate nearby now because the area has become that filthy," said e-rickshaw driver Rajnesh Singh.
According to civic data, JMC-H has over 1,799 unresolved complaints, mostly related to sewer lines and waste management. JMC-G fares worse, with 12,555 pending complaints. From Malviya Nagar to Pratap Nagar, residents report vacant plots and under-construction sites turning into dumping grounds.
Prachi Sharma, a resident of Sector 29 in Pratap Nagar, said, "While garbage hoppers do visit our apartment regularly, nearby empty plots and under-construction buildings are used as dumping grounds.
The stench makes it hard to walk by."
Even Raja Park, a popular shopping hotspot, is plagued by piles of garbage. "Thousands visit daily, but there's barely any cleanliness. People are used to walking past the filth," said boutique owner Rekha Goyal.
For many, lodging new complaints feels pointless.