August 4: Civic sense, especially the lack thereof, has been cited as the biggest problem in grappling with the growing garbage problem. In Phuentsholing, City Corporation officials said residents and travelers litter without any regard for civic sense. They said most people tend to believe that the City Corporation will clean up after them.

As Phuentsholing generates over 13 tonnes of waste a day, City Corporation said the challenge to keep the town clean is a major challenge.

With the population increasing each passing day, the City Corporation says it is proving to be a formidable task. While City Corporation claims that some degree of cleanliness has been achieved over past few years, much remains to be done.

The town is littered with plastics, paper, tetra packs and even the unwanted construction materials. Spaces between the buildings and enclosed area make a favorite dumping site for the residents.

City Corporation officials said they are trying their best but to no avail. Karsang Norbu the head of the environmental division of the City Corporation said the public is equally responsible and the corporation is ready to take any kind of suggestion from the public if it is to at all make the town cleaner.

He said the public always see City Corporation as the sole organization to maintain the cleanliness of the town which is in fact the responsibility of every individual.

He reasoned the other cause of the dirty town could be the lack of a Town Committee. He said that if there is a town committee which will comprise of representatives from various private, corporate and government institutions littering could at least be controlled. He said the presence of the town committee will give the City Corporation the teeth to tackle the issue.

24 sweepers are currently employed by the City Corporation and the waste is collected by around six trucks that periodically go around the municipal areas.