MC failure to construct a sports hub turns Burlton Park into a garbage dump

Rachna Khaira

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Tribune News Service 

Jalandhar, May 17

Failing to pursue its case with the Ministry of Environment and Forests to convert Burlton Park into an ultra-modern sports hub, the Jalandhar Municipal Corporation has almost turned the 63 acres of green belt area into a garbage dump from the last few months. 

Harish Sharma, general secretary, Burlton Park Welfare Society, said: "Sanitation workers of the Municipal Corporation are disposing the garbage in a planned manner. The MC tippers began the disposal process after 10:30 am when majority of the residents are through with their morning walk. After, they spread the garbage through a crane to make it disappear by flowing through air." He said despite informing the MC authorities repeatedly, it has failed to pull up the sanitation staff till date. 

Surprisingly, the 63-acre green belt area is also the garbage collection point of the MC. Around 29 three -wheelers after lifting garbage from the entire city come and throws it near the cricket ground. Accepting the fact, Sanitation Health officer Dr Varinder Kalia said as the three wheelers cannot move on top of the Wariana dump for the garbage disposal, they unload the garbage here only to be lifted by the tippers to further dispose it to Wariana dump. 

However, residents while refuting the claim informed that the sanitation workers to save diesel do not bring tippers and instead spread the garbage in the park only through cranes. 

Many residents have also demanded that the MC should install gates all around the Burlton Park to stop unauthorised vehicles through trespassing. "Even rag pickers also create havoc inside the park. The MC authorities have even failed to pick up the cricket stadium rubble of the old Cricket stadium demolished in 2009. It is still lying at a corner of the cricket ground inside the park," said Ravi Sinha, a resident. 

Earlier, the MC has planned to turn the 63 acres green belt area into a sports hub with an estimated cost of Rs 201.59 crore. They had planned to construct a cricket stadium and a swimming pool of international standards, and passed a resolution to this effect in 2008.

The project was to be completed in two phases, with construction of a cricket stadium and an indoor stadium with a swimming pool of international standards at a cost of Rs. 140-crore in the first stage, and beautification work in the second stage.

The MC had allocated the project to Hyderabad-based firm Nagarjuna Construction Company for Rs. 134.9 crore, and got a loan of Rs. 130 crore sanctioned for the project from Housing and Urban Development Corporation (HUDCO), but it was written-off. Later, MC had even availed a loan of Rs. 60-crore loan from HUDCO for other development projects.