Faridabad MC to set up waste treatment plant, residents fume

Tribune News Service

Bijendra Ahlawat

Faridabad, May 14

The move of the Municipal Corporation (MC), Faridabad, to set up waste segregation and processing centres at the local level has irked people. With residents of Riwazpur village resolved not to let the authorities set up a dumping site near the village, the latter have appealed for cooperation.

Efforts on to resolve issue

Efforts are on to resolve the issue and to set up transfer stations for waste segregation and treatment at local level. Civic body official

This is the third such protest in the district in the last one year. The MC had announced that it would set up a dumping station in each of the six Assembly segments for processing of waste in the wake of a ban on dumping of garbage at the existing site of Bandhwari village by the NGT.

"We have decided not to let the setting up of a waste dumping yard at any cost near the village," said Nahar Singh Chauhan, an organiser of the panchayat held today. He claimed that residents of neighbouring villages such as Sherpur, Dadasiya, Khanpur and Dhadhar are also upset over the decision as the site is just 700 metres away from residential areas.

Mala Chauhan, a resident, said the waste plant will lead to pollution and diseases such as cancer, adding that the drinking water of over 20 Ranney wells will also be affected.

Paras Bhardwaj, coordinator of the NGO 'Save Faridabad', said while a consensus among the villagers is crucial, hard stand on part of the authorities had made the situation critical. Adding that while alternative sites at Lalpur and Chandpur villages have been suggested, he alleged that undue pressure was being exerted through the Police Department to end the protest. The ACP of the area held a meeting with the protesters and appealed for maintaining peace until the resolution of the problem.

Earlier, the MCF had to drop the plan to set up a similar facility in Sector 74 and at Sotai village. A similar protest had surfaced at Pali village recently. The MC's assurance that the dumping site project was being set up on a temporary basis for 15 months has failed to mollify the villagers. The NGT in an order in 2020 had announced a penalty of Rs 100 crore on the civic bodies of Faridabad and Gurugram in case dumping of waste at Bandhwari was not stopped by June 30. The dumped waste here is to be removed and processed to make way for a waste to energy power plant announced in 2017.

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