Faridabad residents meet DC over removal of fly ash

Bijendra Ahlawat

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Tribune News Service

Faridabad, April 14

Residents of some colonies met the Deputy Commissioner recently and submitted a memorandum regarding the removal and transportation of fly ash.

The delegation included residents from Sainik Colony, Achievers Colony, and Sector 49. They sought his intervention in the matter.

“The process of removal of lakhs of tonne of fly ash dumped on the Faridabad-Gurugram road near Sector 49 here has caused severe air pollution in the area,” said Jitender Bhadana, an activist of Save Aravalli, an NGO associated with the environment and ecology.

He said while the ash had been dumped by a thermal power plant several years ago, it was lifted by the NHAI contractors for using it in the construction of the Eastern Peripheral Expressway (Kundli-Ghaziabad-Sonepat) in violation of norms. Its lifting and transportation resulted in air pollution.

He said ash was available free of cost and over 200 and 250 trucks were being pressed into work on a daily basis. “We have taken up the matter with various authorities, including the local MLA,” said Anu Rao of Sector 49.

“It has made life hell and caused breathing problems,’’ said Sanjay Bagul another resident. Satender Kumar of Bhakri village said the ash had left the air polluted in several villages, including Newada, Pali and Bhakri, and it had been reported to the authorities concerned, but no relief has come so far.

Admitting that fly ash was being used in the construction of the highway (expressway), a senior official of the NHAI said instructions had been issued to the contractor to adhere to norms to avoid air pollution. JB Sharma, regional officer of the Haryana Pollution Control Board, could not be contacted.