‘Want the dumping ground to be removed’

CHANDIGARH: Residents formed a human chain in protest at the

Dadumajra

dumping ground on Sunday, calling for action by the MC to shift it to some other place. They said, the stench emanating from the place has become unbearable over the years and they want the removal of the ground from their locality.

Reportedly, they have been fighting for past several years to get the dump removed from their vicinity. The residents demanded that the authorities must take action in their interest as the waste dumped around is adversely affecting their health too.

The residential colony is situated very close to the city’s biggest garbage dump spread across 46 acres. However, the stench has forced a number of people to leave their houses and settle elsewhere. Moreover, the foul smell has become a landmark to guide new people to the locality.

Locals claimed that even after applications to councillors and municipal corporation (MC) nothing has been done to resolve the issue. “It is a pain to see that no one cares about our problems. We have been deprived of the basic amenities, including the right to breathe in fresh air. I am forced to live here since I cannot afford to buy a house in another locality,” said Avneet Singh, a resident.

About 400-450 metric tonnes of garbage is generated in the city in a day, whereas the plant in Dadumajra, run by

Jaypee Associates

has a daily processing capacity of 200-250 metric tonnes only. The residents in the past had also staged a protest and stopped a truck carrying garbage from entering the dumping ground for more than two days. However, the situation has still not improved.

Apart from the foul smell, the garbage clutter with mosquitoes and flies hovering over it, also pose the threat of spreading of diseases in the locality.

The area has become full of patients suffering from chronic respiratory and skin diseases due to the constant exposure to the smell and also, the smoke that the garbage emanates when set to fire, claimed the residents. Hence, the residents held slogans in hand demanding action from the authorities so that they can get rid of the smell in the new year.

MC wants greenery around

Chandigarh municipal corporation has been giving instructions for capping of the garbage dump, and plant trees around the place to lessen the smell which has been a landmark for Daddumajra locality for past decades. However, the project has not taken off yet. The MC had also spread special powders to reduce the smell but the problem has persisted