Mohali civic body meet on disposal of waste, dumping site inconclusive

The Municipal Corporation’s House meeting to discuss the all-important issue of garbage disposal and dumping ground remained inconclusive. Mayor Amarjit Singh Sidhu and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) councillor and local MLA Kulwant Singh’s son Sarabjeet Singh Samana, meanwhile, engaged in a no-holds barred match of leveling land-grabbing charges with each other.

The development comes at a time when heaps of garbage are lying outside residential societies, alongside roads and at public places. Resource Management Centres are also overflowing with garbage and leading to foul smell.

Senior Deputy Mayor Amrik Singh Somal remained a mute spectator throughout the meeting, while Deputy Mayor Kuljit Singh Bedi and the MLA did not attend the meeting.

Some councillors arrived at the meeting with “resolve garbage issue” placards, while others reminded the Mayor of his unfulfilled promises.

Municipal Commissioner Parminder Pal Singh admitted that the situation has already gotten out of hand, saying, “I am trying to find a short-term solution to the problem by getting a 50-acre land from Greater Mohali Area Development Authority (GMADA) for the time being. The proposed waste processing unit in Samgoli will take more than two years to get operational even if all roadblocks are cleared today itself.”

Executive Engineer Ranjiv Kumar, for most part of the meeting, was engrossed on the screen of his phone.

After the meeting, Sidhu said,” The ‘jhaadu wali sarkar’ is not at all serious about the garbage disposal and land for dumping site.” He even alleged that certain elements in the government are encouraging dumping on roads and public places, adding “They come armed with ‘katta’ and see to it that garbage trolleys are unloaded at specific places.”

Amidst the din, the perennial issues of stray cattle menace, broken roads and missing house number plates also saw little discussion.