Household, construction waste ends up in unused plots, no govt agency in charge

GURUGRAM: Household waste from the new sectors does not reach the landfill site. Where do tonnes of daily trash end up then? Usually on vacant plots, currently available in abundance in sectors along Southern Peripheral Road and Dwarka Expressway. In other words, waste generated in the neighbourhood stays in the neighbourhood. The other kind of waste that finds its way into such plots is construction debris, of which there is a massive daily output because of large-scale infrastructure and housing work in the region.




Gurugram, at the moment, does not have a single plant to treat waste. The only one it had, at Bandhwari in the Aravalis, has been dysfunctional since 2013 after a fire. Another plant planned by the municipal corporation to treat construction waste has just overcome legal challenges in court, but it will still be a while before that one starts functioning. In the current scheme of things, however, the new sectors (58-115) would be saddled with a garbage disposal problem even if the city had functional treatment plants because no government agency is in charge of solid waste management here. Urban development authority Huda’s role is restricted to building master roads, and laying water supply and drainage lines.

And the MCG’s civic duties do not include the new sectors. The absence of a government civic agency has left the field wide open for private agencies, which collect waste, segregate usable or recyclable items and dump the residual trash wherever they can. And for these agencies, the most convenient way to get rid of the trash is to burn it, polluting the air.

“Waste burning is rampant in our area. Last year, when pollution levels shot up in the city, we had called MCG for help. But officials there said it wasn’t their job. We then approached the state pollution control board and police, who helped us curb waste burning to some extent,” said Tarun Puri, a resident of Ireo Grand Arch, Sector 58. Puri said local residents had apprehended several trucks dumping garbage on empty plots nearby with the help of police. But the problem persists.



Experts pointed out most private waste-collecting agencies do not have a licence and thus don’t have access to the landfill site at Bandhwari where garbage generated from the rest of the city is dumped. “These agencies collect garbage for free. They segregate valuable/usable items and make money out of that. Whatever is useless for them lands in open spaces or is set on fire,” said Ruchika Sethi, a waste management expert. Rampant dumping of construction and demolition waste (C&D), too, is a major problem. In the absence of proper waste collection centres, mini-dumping sites have come up along Golf Course Road Extension, Sushant Lok, sectors 57, 58 (near Ghata) and Ardee City Road in Sector 67.

“Since there is no designated site allocated for the disposal of construction waste, it ends up on empty plots. Not only builders, even individuals undertaking construction work at their houses dump the waste on vacant plots,” said Simrat Singh, a resident of Tulip Ivory, Sector 69. According to MCG officials, there are four designated sites for dumping of construction waste in every zone (the city is divided into four zones). One can also request the corporation for a pick-up of debris. MCG senior town planner Sudhir Chouhan claimed the corporation had been trying to create awareness and also taking action against those flouting norms.

“Anyone who is found dumping construction waste at any place other than the designated ones is fined Rs 5,000. The amount can be higher as well. In the last six months, we have issued around 77 challans,” he added. But what about household waste? MCG officials said with the introduction of the new waste management system, the problem could be solved soon. The waste management plan kicked off last year and is being implemented in the MCG wards in a phased manner. “We have had multiple representations from the new sectors about waste management and even though the new sectors aren’t officially under the corporation, they will also be covered under the integrated waste management plan,” said a senior MCG official.