Sir,

Imagine walking through the streets of Handwara and seeing an eight- or ten-year-old child in desperate condition: hair full of dust, skin covered in mud, and clothes torn and filthy. Feeling pity, you hold his hand, put him in your car, and bring him home.
When you step inside and see the dirt and smell the foul stench coming from his body and clothes, what is your first natural reaction? Would you seat him at a dining table and offer him a rich feast, or would you first take him straight to the bathroom to bathe, wash, and clean him up?
Unless the child is literally starving to death, every sensible person knows the answer: cleaning comes first, treats come later. Offering gifts or books to someone living in extreme filth is not kindness but running away from the real problem.
Now look at Handwara town. Is its condition any different from that neglected child? Sadly, the honest answer is no. Over the last fifteen years, Handwara has become the dirtiest and most neglected main town in North Kashmir.
Our reality is plain to see: open drains blocked with polythene and plastic waste, garbage piles spilling onto main roads, and complete administrative neglect that puts everyone’s health at risk.
There is a well-known medical saying: “Constipation is the mother of all diseases.” The reason is simple: when toxic waste stays trapped inside the body, it poisons the entire system. Look at Handwara today. The town has literally turned into a dumping ground: a breeding ground for diseases. But why would this bother you? You only visit two, four, or five times a year. You do not have to live with this garbage, breathe this foul smell, or suffer through this dirt every single day. That is why our repeated complaints and requests fall on deaf ears.
Whenever citizens raise this issue, the administration simply passes the blame; either pointing fingers at the Chief Minister’s office or blaming government red tape. This is not leadership.
A sincere representative does not hide behind administrative excuses. A real leader would sit down regularly with the Executive Officer of the Municipal Committee to fix the waste collection system on the ground.
If you had taken the initiative to bring together the Traders’ Federation, the Auqaf Committee, and the Private Schools Association, an effective, community-led cleaning system could have been running years ago. Keeping a town clean does not need permission from high-level offices in Jammu or Srinagar; it needs local willpower, public involvement, and honest effort.
Cleanliness is not a luxury or a decorative feature; it is the very foundation of any civilized society. History proves this:

“Cleanliness is the first mark of politeness and civil life.” — Lord Chesterfield
“The goal of public health is to remove the causes of disease and ensure human dignity.” — Edwin Chadwick

“The streets were so clean that one could walk across the entire city without dirtying one's shoes.” — Historical account of Muslim Cordoba
This was Cordoba under Muslim rule. We are Muslims, and our Din teaches us that cleanliness and purity are essential parts of our faith. Aspiring to intellectual progress while living in filth is self-deception. When our surroundings rot, our health, dignity, and self-respect rot with them.
The clean streets and orderly towns of Europe did not happen by magic. You have traveled abroad and seen this firsthand. In nineteenth-century Britain, leaders did not build libraries and museums while their towns were buried in mud and waste. They first built underground sewers, clean water pipes, and proper waste management systems. In Germany, strict municipal rules and public sweeping duties ensure that every street stays spotless.
The immediate reason for this letter is your recent announcement to open five new public libraries in Handwara.
Promoting education and reading is a good thing. But good governance requires doing the right things in the right order. Handwara is not in an educational emergency: between the Tehsil library and several private reading halls, we already have nearly half a dozen study centers catering to students.
Announcing new libraries while basic sanitation is collapsing is upside-down governance. It is like decorating the drawing room while the building's foundation is sinking in sewage. Books and study centers are places of peace, but they cannot thrive in a town choking on open garbage, overflowing gutters, and dust.
The public has a responsibility, but the administration must lead the way and set the example.
True leadership is about setting the right priorities. The neglected child must be washed, cleaned, and made healthy before he is given new clothes. Clean up Handwara’s streets first with the seriousness it deserves, and the town's cultural and educational life will naturally flourish.

Wasalam!

Khan Sikendr Bashir Handwara