Nehru Rose Garden on College Road, a popular spot for morning and evening walkers, is facing a growing rat menace amid poor hygiene and improper waste management. Residents have reported numerous rat burrows across the garden, with litter and garbage further aggravating the situation.Dr Ranjana Gupta, a city-based doctor who regularly visits the garden, said the rat population had increased sharply due to negligence in maintaining hygiene.“We need to curb the rat menace before it takes a toll on human beings, like in Surat in 1994, where plague-infected rats had claimed many lives. There are heaps of garbage in the city, and the government is not paying attention to maintaining cleanliness and hygiene, especially in public parks. Residents must collectively raise their voice in a peaceful manner to find a quick solution to the rat menace before it becomes too late,” she said.Walkers said rat burrows were visible across the garden, with rats frequently seen near trees and in open areas.Recalling an incident, senior citizen Pramod Sharma said he spotted a snake near a rat burrow some time ago, prompting walkers to alert the authorities.“These burrows are never filled, nor is any spraying done to control the rat population here,” he said, adding that rats were also seen near garbage heaps, vacant plots and roads along which leftovers were dumped by eatery owners. He blamed the authorities for neglecting cleanliness in the city.Another senior citizen, Gopal Pathak, who takes a two-hour evening walk daily, said the authorities could not continue to ignore the problem.Residents have urged the Municipal Corporation, Ludhiana, to inspect Rose Garden and other affected areas urgently and introduce systematic rat-control and pest-management measures. They have also called for proper waste disposal, the cleaning of garbage hotspots, the sealing of open drains and other potential breeding sites, and penalise those violating sanitation norms.Residents also pointed out that the Mayor’s residence was nearby, yet the authorities had failed to address the issue.Despite repeated attempts, Mayor Inderjit Kaur could not be contacted for comments.Deputy Commissioner Himanshu Jain, when briefed about the condition of the public park, said he would request the MC Commissioner to seek help from pest control and management organisations and eliminate the menace as soon as possible.