Open dumping of garbage in Ludhiana: 5 years on, project to install static compactors remains on paper only

Even as the municipal corporation (MC) is facing the heat of National Green Tribunal (NGT) and residents have been decrying open dumping of garbage in different parts of the city, the civic body’s project to install static compactors across the city continues to remain on paper for the last five years.

Since 2018, the MC is working on a project to install 63 compactors at 22 locations in the city at a cost of around ₹30-crore under the Smart City Mission to stop open dumping of garbage in the city. Tall claims are made by the authorities regarding the project whenever the issue is raised by residents, but nothing concrete has been done at the ground-level. Only sheds have been constructed at a number of locations which are now lying vacant with machinery installed at the site.

As per the information, there are around 40 open secondary dumps in the city. The garbage collected from houses is dumped at the secondary dumping sites and then shifted to the main dump site of the MC on Tajpur road. After the installation of compactors, garbage will directly be dumped inside the compactors. The compressed waste will then be shifted to the main dump site with the help of hook loaders/tippers.

One of the shopkeepers near Shivpuri garbage dump, Deepak, rued that a large portion of the road remains covered with garbage at Shivpuri dump even as a cremation ground and a temple is situated in the area.“It is also taking a toll on our business as people avoid passing through the area due to foul smell and unhygienic conditions. Recently, MLA (Ludhiana Central) Ashok Prashar Pappi, along with MC officials, also visited the spot and assured a solution for the problem, but no concrete action has been taken.”

The first three units of the compactors installed in the city near Dugri canal bridge in 2016 are also gathering dust and the garbage is being dumped in the open. The officials said the machinery had developed a snag and would be replaced under the Smart City project.

One of the MC officials, requesting anonymity, said the state department has been raising objections due to which the project has been delayed. “Even as the Ludhiana Improvement Trust (LIT) has installed static compactors at around half-a-dozen sites in the city and those are functioning properly; the state committee is still raising questions over the feasibility of the project,” the official added.

Meanwhile, MC additional commissioner Aaditya Dachalwal said some objections raised by the state level technical committee of Smart City Mission have been cleared. Now, the proposal would again be tabled in the next meeting of board of directors of Ludhiana Smart City Limited (LSCL) for getting final approval to float tender under the project, he said.

The Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) had imposed a penalty of ₹4-crores on the MC over its failure in managing solid waste in the past. On July 25, NGT had also imposed ₹100-crore interim penalty on the civic body for failing to dispose of over 25 lakh metric tonnes of garbage (legacy waste) dumped at the main dump site of the MC on Tajpur road. The penalty amount had to be submitted with the deputy commissioner and used for disposing the legacy waste.