Hundreds of residents of Sector 23A and its neighbouring areas are allegedly forced to breathe in highly polluted air due to open dumping and burning of waste in a vacant plot in the area.
Sleepless night
Bhawani Shankar Tripathy, general-secretary, Residents’ Welfare Association, Sector 23A, said that the residents were forced to spend a sleepless night on Friday due to waste being burnt in the plot spread over three acres.
He said they gasped and choked and their eyes burned due to the toxic fumes. “Smoke can be seen even after 12 hours after the waste started burning,” said Mr. Tripathy.
The plot has been made into a waste dumping site by unauthorised colonies, villages and hotels around the sector over the past few months. The open dumping and burning of waste is illegal as per National Green Tribunal orders.
In a recent email to Deputy Commissioner, MCG Commissioner and HUDA Administrator on the issue, Mr. Tripathy pointed out that the municipal body, despite repeated requests, continued to ignore the problem.
‘Matter of sanitation’
“The MCG officials say that the plot belongs to HUDA and is their responsibility even as we contend that sanitation is their business and they need to discourage open dumping,” said Mr. Tripathy.
“We have repeatedly requested the HUDA Estate office (as they own the plot) to fence this plot with a toe wall and grills so that access is restricted to no avail,” said the email. Mr. Tripathy, in his mail, further said that waste dumping and burning has become common in the sector. The MCG officials could not be contacted for the comments.