Residents pin hope on Amarinder’s promise

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, March 22

With the formation of the new government, a ray of hope has emerged among residents of Bhagtanwala, who had staged a continuous dharna in protest against the setting up of a Solid Waste Management Plant in their locality.

With the efforts of the Sanjhi Sangharsh Committee and MLA Inderbir Singh Bolaria, the Congress had mentioned in its election manifesto that the party would relocate the dumping ground. Bolaria, the MLA from South constituency, had resigned from Vidhan Sabha on this issue during the last regime.

The area residents led by the Sanjhi Sangharsh Committee had initiated an agitation in November 2014 and it was continued for 42 days. Bolaria had assured the residents that he would get the dump relocated, but the SAD-BJP government did not recognise his demand. The residents again sat on a hunger strike on August 13, 2015, and the strike continued for 15 days. Bolaria then quitted the Vidhan Sabha on the issue.

Now, the residents are hopeful that the government will relocate the dump yard, as Chief Minister Amarinder Singh gave his word to Bolaria.

The area residents led by the Sanjhi Sangharsh Committee have claimed that the dump has come up against the recommendations of the National Green Tribunal and the Municipal Solid Waste Management and Handling Rules 2000.

Sanjay Sharma from the Sanjhi Sangharsh Committee said, “The site for the dump or the Solid Waste Management Plant is not appropriate. As per the Municipal Solid Waste Management and Handling Rules 2000, the waste collection points should be de-centralised. The solid waste management company can’t dump the garbage without segregation. The location of the dump should be away from habitation, historical places and water bodies. But here the holy Golden Temple sarovar is around 1.5 km from the dump. The grain market is adjoining the dump”.

Nawal Chawla, general secretary, Sanjhi Sangharsh Committee, said, “Now we will call a meeting of the residents and meet with Navjot Singh Sidhu and other leaders of the Congress, who had promised us to relocate the dump. The government has to make a committee to find an appropriate location for the Solid Waste Management Plant and shift it away from the city”.