Fire breaks out at Dadu Majra

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, October 6

A major fire broke out at the Dadu Majra dumping ground around 2:30 pm leading to a scare among the nearby localities here today.

Residents said flames and a plume of orange-yellow smoke rose from the middle of the garbage mound and spread in all directions due to wind.

A Dadu Majra resident, Dyal Krishan, said, “A road connecting Dadu Majra and New Chandigarh was full of smoke and two-wheeler riders complained of a burning sensation in their eyes.”

Firemen at the site said the flames in the middle of the garbage mound were being doused by using water cannons but they were facing difficulty in depositing sand and earth even though JCB machines and tippers were pressed into action.

As the situation worsened, fire tenders from across the city took turns to douse the fire. Officials of the fire department also reached the site to monitor the situation.

Sector 38 fire station incharge Surjit Singh said, “A call about the fire was received at 3:50 pm and two fire tenders were rushed to the site.” Though the exact cause of the blaze could not be ascertained, fire officials apprehend that the build-up of gases under the garbage and combustible substances could be the reason.

Fire officials said they were trying to control the fire and it would take a nightlong operation to extinguish it. No loss of life and property was reported till the filing of the report. Some residents living in the Housing Board Colony in Dadu Majra, however, suffered a burning sensation in their eyes and complained of breathing problems.

The Municipal Corporation’s ineptness to manage the dumping ground has once again come to the fore as almost every year, fire incidents are reported from the site. The hazardous smoke billowing from the garbage mound also belied the civic body claim of being a Smart City by processing maximum municipal waste with minimum environmental pollution.

Past incidents

• April 29, 2019: A major fire was reported from Jaypee garbage processing plant. It took five fire tenders and three hours to extinguish the blaze
• May 1, 2017: A fire occurred at the site. It took a night-long operation to control it
• April 11, 2017: A fire broke out around 2:30 pm and the firefighting operation went on through the night. Traffic stuck on the road between Sector 25 and Dhanas.
• April 30, 2016: Almost 72 hours of operation and 4 lakh litres of water put out one of the worst fires. Residents of Sector 37, 38 and 38 (West) complained of uneasiness. It was the third such fire incident in six months.