Residents oppose plan to set up garbage compactor at Ludhiana's Bhai Chattar Singh Park

Harshraj Singh

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, June 23

After facing residents’ ire for setting up waste compactor at the cremation ground land at Barewal, the Municipal Corporation’s plan to set up a garbage compactor/dump at Bhai Chattar Singh Park, one of the prominent parks in the city, is being criticised by the environmental activists and residents.

A student of Arya College, Ludhiana, and cadet of 3rd Punjab Battalion of the NCC Chattar Singh Dhadhli died on January 2, 1954, when he was helping his fellow cadets in digging a pit, but suddenly a portion of earth caved in due to vibrations caused by a train. He got buried under the soil. The park was named in the memory of the cadet.

Relatives of the late cadet had earlier raised a demand that the government must develop the park but no dump or compactor should be set up at this park. But, the MC is going ahead to set up a waste compactor on one side of the park.

When a team of MC officials along with police reached Bhai Chattar Singh Park on Wednesday, an activist and resident of Model Town, Gurpal Singh Grewal, opposed the MC’s move. Grewal said, “The MC has demolished a boundary wall of the park to set up the garbage dump on park land. The civic body has planned to set it up near the statue of Bhai Chattar Singh Ji. I have great respect for him.”

He said, “I strongly condemned the civic body’s senseless idea of setting up a garbage dump on the park land. I will fight to secure the park till my last breath but no garbage dump or compactor would be allowed on the park land. Moreover, I will oppose the axing of trees for the dumpsite.”

Grewal along with his children had also staged protests a few years ago when the MC had made efforts to shift a garbage dump from Scooter Market to the park. Following the protests, the MC had not shifted the garbage dump from Scooter Market to the park but it had not removed the structure that was set up for the garbage dump at the park.

The garbage dump is currently located adjoining Scooter Market, under the flyover and opposite Bhai Chattar Singh Park. Earlier, some environmental activists had also raised a voice against the MC’s plan to set up a waste compactor on park land.

Leader of Opposition in MC House, Harbhajan Singh Dang said, “The parks are for the public and no park land should be used to set up any garbage dump. We will oppose the MC’s move,” Dang said.

Superintending Engineer, MC, Rahul Gagneja claimed that the garbage dump already exists at Bhai Chattar Singh Park. Moreover, the NGT has allowed the MC to set up the compactor at the park.

Mayor Balkar Singh Sandhu said the compactor is to be set up on one side of the park as per the NGT orders. However, he said they will try to find an alternative land for the compactor.

Park was named in NCC cadet’s memory

A student of Arya College, Ludhiana, and cadet of 3rd Punjab Battalion of the NCC Chattar Singh Dhadhli died on January 2, 1954, when he was helping his fellow cadets in digging a pit, but suddenly a portion of earth caved in due to vibrations caused by a train. He got buried under the soil. The park was named in the memory of the cadet.

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