Vacant land turns into garbage dump

Harshraj Singh

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, October 22

A piece of land near the Dhandari Khurd cremation ground is turning into a garbage dump, causing inconvenience to residents.

Residents of the area have asked the civic body to ensure removal of the dump as “unsanitary conditions are an open invitation to diseases.”

Residents blamed the civic body for not lifting the garbage timely. They say the foul smell emanating from the heaps of garbage has made their life miserable.

Members of the Guru Ravidas Youth Sports and Welfare Club, Dhandari Khurd, demanded from the authorities concerned to find out a permanent solution to the problem. In absence of any playground in the area, children usually played outdoor sports on the land, they said.

Sukhwinder Singh, a club member, said: “The land is lying vacant for the past several years. Children used to play sports here. Now, they cannot because the land has been converted into a major garbage dump. Area residents are a harried lot due to this. The MC should remove the dump from this land. A playground should be made instead of converting it into dumping ground.”

Another resident Major Singh said the cremation ground was located near the garbage dump. “Whenever it rains, the situation worsens. It becomes difficult to even pass by the area. We want the authorities to get the dump removed as soon as possible,” he said.

Paramjit Singh, Councillor from Ward 28, said: “It is a disputed land. One portion of the land is with the government while another portion was sold to a small-scale industry. The villagers had opposed the move of selling this land. People want that the land should be free of garbage dump, so that kids can keep playing. I have requested the MC to install a static waste compactor system here to help solve the problem,” he said.