Rampur, an erstwhile city of the Nawab’s, situated about 330 kms from the state capital in western Uttar Pradesh, has been adjudged as the worst city of the country by the Union ministry of housing and urban affairs in the ‘ease of living index' of cities. The index was prepared keeping in mind various infrastructural parameters like roads, power supply, sanitation, medical facilities and so on.
During Akhilesh Yadav’s regime then cabinet minister Azam Khan had represented the city. Jaya Prada, the famous cine star, has been an MP from Rampur from 2004 to 2014. But this has in no way helped the city.
The city with a population of 3.25 lakh has lost its Nawabi sheen and today is the worst city in the country. Public transport, waste disposal, health care system and emergency facilities are in complete chaos and power supply is at its worst.
According to locals, it is only a city for namesake, while in reality it is a magnified, chaotic village devoid of basic amenities. According to an official report, 165 tons of filth and garbage, which is equal to 20 trucks, emanates from the city everyday. Locals dispose this garbage either in the nearby Ghatampur or throw them in open drains and bylanes of the city.
According to chief sanitary officer of the city T.P.S. Verma, the acute shortage of sanitary workers has led to problems as waste disposal system is not working properly. Against the required strength of 355 permanent sanitary workers, they have less than 200 workers. Another instance is in government hospitals where it is common for two patients to share one bed. The footfall of patients is about 4000 per day, where as there are just 13 doctors to look after them. According to the Chief Medical Officer, B.M. Nagar, Rampur, due to inadequate strength of doctors patients are refereed to nearby districts of Aligarh and Meerut for treatment.
Government schools do no have adequate classrooms so students of two classes are made to sit in one room. “These problems are just a tip of the iceberg, if we take all parameters into account a voluminous book can be written on the chaotic civic life and facilities of Rampur,” said Rajendra Mathur a local of the city.