Locals oppose garbage dump at Pampore stadium

Pulwama, December 10

Residents have rued the Municipal Committee’s decision for building a garbage collection point on the stadium land in Pampore town of south Kashmir’s Pulwama district.

The residents, especially youth, said they strived for over a decade for the revival of the Pampore stadium, but the decision of the Municipal Committee was horrendous and would definitely limit sports activities at the place.

“How will the local youth and children play at a place that stinks,” said Faraz Ahmad, a resident, adding that they would not allow the construction of the dumping site on the stadium land.

Pulwama sports council district manager Bashir Ahmad termed the construction of the dumping site on the stadium land as an encroachment and said he had written to the higher-ups regarding the issue. “The stadium became functional just a few months ago after the Sports Council of J&K spent a huge amount of money to revive its prestige,” he said, adding that the construction of the dumping site would only mean wastage of money that had been spent on its revival. Executive Officer, Municipal Committee, Pampore, Manzoor Ahmad said the dumping site was being constructed on the directions of the tehsildar, who notified the land and the garbage would be cleared every day before 11 am. “The dumping site was notified after the Additional Deputy Commissioner once saw the garbage littered on the sides of the highway and asked us to collect it somewhere else,” he said. “I replied to him that there was no land available following which he directed the tehsildar to notify a site for garbage collection,” Ahmad added. He said if the sports council or the residents had any objection to the collection point, they would stop its operation. Pertinently, the area notified for the garbage collection point is a public place, which is nearby a religious seminary housing 2,000 students and a bus stand. — OC