Grow Vegetables Instead
by Shobhit Jain (D-159; 9871333844)
The vacant plots in our sector are becoming a nuisance for neighbours as they are not maintained or looked after by the owners and as a result they are turning into public
toilets, garbage dump ground and a breeding ground for pests and even deadly snakes.
Owners of these vacant plots either leave the plot open without any boundary wall or sometimes build a boundary wall and temporary structure so as to avoid the penalty for non construction. But whatever be the case it looks as if the owners have forgotten about their plots and the residents staying nearby these plots have to face the brunt. The plots have dense undergrowth and seeing this people tend to urinate in the bushes and many a times throw their garbage into the plot. Also the bushy plot invites trouble in the form of rats, snakes and other insects finding a safe home in these bushes which could be dangerous as sometimes children play near the plots. This problem aggravates during the rainy season as the plot which is filled with garbage and urine tends to stink making it difficult to live for the neighbours. Also many plots have trees growing inside them right at corners. The roots of these trees tend to weaken the foundation of the adjacent building.
Many such plots are present in our sector and the story is the same for all of these. The plots that have no boundary are although cleaned by the authority from time to time but soon after they again become a dumping ground. The major problem lies with the plots having a boundary wall built because the authority cannot clean these and the owners do not wish to clean them. Recently a snake was spotted by a resident in one such plot. Another vacant plot at the A block entry point of our sector has been a headache for the neighbours for a long time now. The resident has many times got the plot cleaned at their own expense but all in vain as after a few days the plot again becomes a dumping ground.
Although the Noida Authority has been getting these plots cleaned from time to time, that also happens only after repeated complaints are made and needs rigorous follow-ups. Fed up with this issue, some residents have come up with a unique solution to tackle this. They have taken the permission of the plot owner and are growing vegetables in the empty plots next to them. This is a win-win situation as the plots are maintained as no one throws garbage in them and also the resident gets to eat healthy organic home grown vegetables. More residents should try and adopt this method to put an end to this problem.
