Gurugram residents mock MLA's success claim in clearing 200 garbage spots
While the Haryana Government is patting its back over the ‘glorious’ 100 days in office during the party’s third term, local BJP MLA Mukesh Sharma seems to have lost his challenge of ‘Clean Gurugram in 100 days’.
While Sharma credits himself for clearing 200 vulnerable garbage spots, local Residents Welfare Associations (RWAs) and environmentalists feel that only the location of garbage has changed and there is no solution to the mounting waste.
“Look around and see the change. In at least 200 places that were overflowing with garbage, we removed it and have permanently placed a trolley for people to dump their garbage in, which is then taken away. We have cut down on illegal waste dumping in these areas,” said Sharma while talking to 'The Tribune'.
Waste exigency in Gurugram was announced in June 2024. While Sharma has been working on getting trolleys to collect and transport waste, residents feel it is just a temporary cosmetic fix, but key issues like waste treatment remain unresolved. The residents of Gurugram have taken X by storm, posting pictures of areas that remain the same even after 100 days. They are tagging Sharma, asking him about the status and seeking action against the Municipal Corporation.
“Yes, there have been spot fixes where the garbage has been lifted, but where has it gone? It has not been treated, it has not been converted into energy, so basically it has either been shifted to some other out-of-sight area or added to Bandhwari, which is already the biggest symbol of the city’s crises. The government should have implemented Solid Waste Management rules, worked on segregation, set up biomass fuel centres, etc, but nothing has happened. There is no plan so far. The waste is being rampantly burnt, leading to air toxicity. Basically, garbage has shifted places in the city, but sanitation crises has not been resolved,” said Ruchika Sethi, waste management activist and president of Citizens for Clean Air Bharat.
According to the United Association of New Gurugram (UANG), the spot fixes being quoted by the MLA have been made in old parts of the city around the MLA’s house and work area, but other areas are still the same.
“Every day, people are posting pictures of waste dump in empty plots, green belts, etc, of the newer areas. New Gurugram is new dumpyard. They are taking garbage from the earlier black spots and dumping it here, creating new landfills. The only thing that has changed is the number of temporary illegal landfills. We have not seen any concrete action on problem resolution,” said Praveen Malik, president of UANG.
The Congress, meanwhile, has dubbed the 100-day promise another ‘jumla’ by the local MLA and the BJP government. The party says that it has prepared a list of over 100 spots in the city that are new landfills and will release it soon.
“Till Bandhwari continues to grow, how can they say they have resolved the crises? They have just shifted the garbage in some areas trying to hide it from people. They are dumping it in the Aravallis and leachate is overflowing, and many new sectors are new dumpyards. The MLA should release a report card on what success he has made,” said local Congress leader Pankaj Dawar.
