Bandhwari fire: 7 SDOs fined for being absent during fire

Sumedha Sharma

Gurugram, June 6

Taking a strict view of the negligence of duty by seven Sub Divisional Officers (SDOs), the Municipal Corporation Gurugram has penalised them for being absent from duty, while the Bandhwari landfill caught fire yet again.

The MCG has already started the process to install biometric machines to ensure all officials on duty at the landfill site report in time and stay for their entire duration of the duty.

A fire at the Bandhwari landfill was reported on May 31 and it took around 20 fire tenders to douse the flames. According to officials, the SDOs, who are responsible for manning the landfill, were not present at the site and did not alert the authorities on time about the fire. It were the locals living in the area around the garbage mountain who informed the fire authorities and the MCG about the incident. Additional Municipal Commissioner Dr Balpreet Singh fined the SDOs Rs 5,000 each and issued a show-cause notice. They have been asked to respond to the notice within two days.

The order highlighted how on May 31 a fire broke out in the landfill and the MCG got to know that the SDOs had not reported on duty in their designated hours.

It may be noted the MCG has ordered the installation of a biometric attendance system at the Bandhwari landfill site to ensure presence of officers and staff for effective monitoring to prevent fires. “A biometric attendance system should be installed immediately at the Bandhwari landfill site so that strict action can be taken against the officers who have not been turning up for their duties,” read the letter issued by MCG Additional Commissioner Balpreet Singh.

The Bandhwari landfill has reported around 20 incidents of fire in the last two months owing to high temperature. Local residents have been accusing the corporation of not taking steps to ensure ‘scientific’ resolution of the issue. According to MCG Commissioner Narahari Singh Banger, efforts were on to get advanced methane detectors and thermal cameras to detect fires in time.

“We are already working on getting a thermal camera. This will help us with early detection of fires so that we can take measures. Similarly advanced methane detectors are also being looked into,” said Banger. “We have considerably reduced the legacy waste. Fires during peak summer is a common problem at landfills everywhere. This year the summer has been harshest,” he said.

According to MCG, there are still 12.88 lakh metric tonnes of legacy waste (the waste that have been collected and kept for years) lying at Bandhwari, and 3.48 lakh metric tonnes of fresh waste is likely to be dumped

until Dec 2024. “16.36 lakh metric tonnes of legacy waste will be processed at Bandhwari by Dec 2024 to make the landfill waste-free,” added Banger.

2 months, 20 fires

• The SDOs fined Rs 5,000 each and issued a show-cause notice
• The Bandhwari landfill reported around 20 incidents of fire in two months, causing a great deal of pollution
• The process to install biometric machines has begun
• Advanced methane detectors and thermal cameras to be installed