Residents bear brunt of Ludhiana MC’s failure to dispose of waste
Frequent fire incidents are also reported at the dumpsite due to the generation of highly combustible methane gas
The failure of municipal corporation (MC) in disposing of the garbage dumped at the main dump site at Tajpur road is taking a toll on the residents living in the nearby colonies.
With over 16 lakh metric tonnes of accumulated waste at the dump site spread over 40 acres of land and additional 1,100 metric tonnes of garbage being dumped at the site daily, the residents are suffering due to the foul smell, flyash, air pollution among other problems.
Frequent fire incidents are also reported at the dumpsite due to the generation of highly combustible methane gas at the landfill site that even takes a toll on the environment.
Residents of different localities situated at Tibba road, including Shankar Colony, Star Colony, Mahatma Colony, Kakka village, among others, are bearing the brunt of the failure of MC in taking up proper solid waste management.
Laxmi, a resident of Mahatma Colony, said,” Due to the frequent fire incidents reported at the main dumpsite and fuel burnt by the dyeing industry situated in the area, the residents are facing a lot of problems because of fly ash. We run a grocery store, and our goods get covered with fly ash daily. It also causes breathing troubles. Despite our raising the issue for a long time, no action has been taken by the authorities.”
The residents stated that problems had increased after the MC discontinued the refuse-derived fuel (RDF) plant installed at the dumpsite in the first week of February after the A2Z company left the work.
Naveen Kumar, a shopkeeper at Tibba road, said,” Foul smell is emanated from the waste dumped at the dumpsite. A large number of tippers move through the area to dump garbage at the main dumpsite. As they are improperly covered, the garbage from the tippers falls on the roads. Shopkeepers also face problems due to dust emission.”
MC commissioner Pardeep Sabharwal said, “The MC is working to deal with the issue. Tenders for allotting three separate contracts, including those for dealing with door collection of waste, shifting waste from secondary points to the main dumpsite, and for disposing of waste at the main dumpsite, will be floated in the first week of April.”
Likely to affect city’s ranking in Swachh Survekshan
The failure of MC in dealing with the waste is also likely to hit the ranking of the city in the Swachh Survekshan 2021-22. The third-party inspections are going on under the survey. After the dismal performance in Swachh Survekshan 2020, wherein the city was ranked at the 34th position out of 47 cities with over 10 lakh population, the civic body had been working hard to improve its ranking.