Faridabad MC struggles to identify land for proper disposal of waste amid opposition by residents
The Faridabad Municipal Corporation (MC) has been on the lookout for land to set up projects related to the proper disposal of civic waste.
Over 1,000 tonnes of civic waste is churned out by the city daily. All efforts made by civic authorities to set up waste disposal-cum-processing plants have, so far, been met with stiff opposition from residents, and the search to identify appropriate land for these projects is far from over, according to sources in the MC.
After the National Green Tribunal (NGT) ban on the dumping of untreated waste at the old landfill site in Bandhwari village on the Faridabad-Gurugram Highway, only about a third of the city’s civic waste was being disposed of properly, the sources added.
“As the Urban Local Bodies (ULB) Department has been directed to remove waste from Bandhwari and look for alternative means of disposal, the civic body had been faced with the challenge of setting up recycling and processing units to tackle civic waste on long term basis,” said an official, on the condition of the anonymity.
Sources claimed that attempts made to operate waste dumping-cum-processing units in various places — including Pali, Mujeri, Sahupura, Pratapgarh, Sector 74 and Riwazpur areas — had failed to materialise due to opposition from residents, who cite the issue of pollution.
Though two plants — at Pratapgarh and Mujeri villages — have been made functional, these can reportedly only process only around a third of the required capacity. Recently, the administration had to seek the help of the police to remove a barricade set up on the road by residents to prevent the movement of vehicles carrying waste to the plant at Pratapgarh.
Residents, including a state minister, have opposed a waste-to-charcoal plant, to be built at a cost of Rs 500 crore at Mothuka village. Due to this, work on the plant has been put on hold.
“The hurdles to the proper disposal of waste have led to poor sanitary conditions,” said Narender Sirohi, an area resident. MC Executive Engineer Padam Bhushan said attempts were being made to resolve the issue as per the directions of the state government.
