The rat menace has taken the Jammu city by storm as almost every household is affected by them while the authorities, it seems, have no plan to check the problem.
It has been a common phenomenon in the city, particularly the old city, where many houses used to remain infested with rats. The rodents used to eat up leftovers in kitchen besides shredding the clothes kept in stores. However, now the increasing number of eateries in the city have added to the woes of the people.
Earlier, the grocery stores in the city and warehouse godown at Bikram Chowk reported a number of rats making holes in adjacent residential houses, posing health hazards. However, now big and fat rats are abundantly seen moving in lanes and drains and from nearby eateries into the residences.
Kanak Mandi, the nerve centre for wholesale trade of daily household items such as cereals, pulses, dal and rice, is also a haven for rats and mice.
“There is no particular department or agency that has any contingency plan to tackle the rat menace. During pest control, the Municipal Corporation’s exercise is limited to cleaning the drains and lanes besides occasional fogging in the areas infected with mosquitoes to check dengue or chikungunya,” said a JMC official, preferring anonymity.
However, JMC Health Officer Anita Salgotra could not be contacted.
Meanwhile, residents of both the old city and Gandhinagar area have reported the common problem of rats creating havoc in the houses for the past five years.
“With an increase in the number of eateries and restaurants in the city, more rats can be seen moving across the city. The only option is to buy rat poison to kill them, but it is not safe with little children at home,” said Rajesh Duggal, a resident of Rehari. He said soon, the city would need a ‘Pied Piper’ if the administration fails to come up with some effective system to tackle the problem.
Rats having free run in Jammu city as admin looks other way
