CP Om Prakash Narwal
Bijendra Ahlawat
Tribune News Service
Faridabad, August 17
The spilling of untreated waste from the landfill site of Bandhwari village on the main highway connecting Faridabad and Gurugram is causing inconvenience to thousands of commuters. A demand for the suspension of the toll collection has also surfaced.
“Acute slushy conditions have made travelling here not only risky but also led to long snarls and blockades,” said Anuroop Sehgal, a daily commuter.
Blaming mismanagement by the authorities concerned, he said tonnes of untreated waste was spilled on the main highway and the conditions had turned worse due to rains. With waste turning into slush, stink emanates for a distance of over a kilometre on the main road.
“The landfill site is located just a 100 m from the toll plaza and the process of dumping and removing the waste has led to spilling on the highway. Traffic jams and air pollution are common,” said Jitender Bhadana, a resident, who said despite the concern being raised on social media, no relief had come.
“I got stuck in a one kilometre long traffic jam this morning,” said KC Nagar, a resident, who added that harassment of commuters on this passage had become a routine affair.
Meanwhile, some of the commuters had raised the demand for the removal of the toll plaza on this highway. “I am writing to bring to your kind attention an issue concerning the toll booth on the road between Gurugram and Faridabad. It has come to notice that the toll booth which has completed the stipulated term continues to operate, causing unnecessary inconvenience and financial burden,” says a letter written to the Prime Minister by one of the commuters recently.
Appealing to get it removed as soon as possible, Ankit Gupta, a resident, said the 12-year-old plaza had recovered more than the investment and the projections.
Faridabad Municipal Corporation Additional Commissioner Gaurav Antil said while no formal complaint about garbage blocking the movement of traffic had surfaced, the agencies concerned were directed to keep a tab on such an issue.
