Credit war between P’kula MLA, Mayor

Rajinder S Nagarkoti

Tribune News Service

Panchkula, June 16

While the Haryana Government is yet to give its approval for the shifting of the garbage dumping ground from Sector 23 to Bhanu village, a credit war has already begun between the local MLA and the Mayor.

While MLA Gian Chand Gupta claims that he has recently written a letter to the Haryana Chief Minister for shifting the dumping ground, Mayor Upinder Kaur Ahluwalia said the proposal was passed last year in an MC House meeting which was chaired by her.

Gupta said not only he had proposed to shift the site, but had even suggested the land in Bhanu village, “which the landowner is ready to sell on collector rated to the government.” 

He said he had written a letter to Haryana Chief Minister in this regard last week.

The MLA was against the proposed site at Jhuriwala as it is close to the National Institute of Fashion Technology and IT Park.

Meanwhile, Mayor Upinder Kaur Ahluwalia said the same proposal was passed last year in a House meeting. It was initially her idea to shift the dumping ground as residents were facing problems, she said.

Shifting the dumping ground will be beneficial for the residents of Sectors 23, 24, 25, 26, 27 and 28, who have been facing health hazards due to the present dumping ground in Sector 23.

Recently, two firms had come forward for setting up a solid waste management plant in Panchkula.

The Haryana Government had planned a solid waste management project for the Panchkula and Naraingarh cluster.

The two firms — Delhi MS Solutions Limited and Mail Hem Ikos Environment Private Limited — have submitted their technical bids. The government has opened their technical bids and soon their financial bids will be opened.

A tender in this regard was floated by the Haryana Government.

At present, the waste generated by the city is being dumped at the Sector 23 site, causing inconvenience to residents. 

In the first House meeting of the Municipal Corporation in 2014, a major decision regarding the disposal of garbage and setting up of a garbage processing plant was taken. But till date, nothing has been finalised.

Current infrastructure

There are 80 garbage collection points in Panchkula. The waste collected in Panchkula from collection points is transported by 28 tractor-trailers to the dumping ground. For the secondary transportation of waste, Panchkula has six dumper placers, three refuse compactors and 15 pick-up trucks. There are 607 temporary (contractual) and 74 safai karamcharis (outsourced).