GURUGRAM: A public hearing conducted by
Haryana State Pollution Control Board (
HSPCB) in Bandhwari on Wednesday proved to be a damp squib with only 33 villagers turning up to voice their concerns over a waste-to-energy project proposed there.
The villagers claimed most of them were not aware of the public hearing, which was organised as part of an environment impact assessment as mandated by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (
MoEF).
“Around 5,000 people live in this village. Moreover, four other villages, including
Mandi,
Dera (in Delhi) and Mangar (in Faridabad), are affected by the waste dumping site. But not even five per cent of the villagers came for the hearing because only a handful of them were aware about this meeting. We came after getting calls from a few environmentalists who attended the meeting,” said Manoj, a resident of Bandhwari village.
Mahavir, who came from Mandi village (Delhi), said, “How can such a meeting take place without the villagers of Mandi, which is located right opposite to the waste plant and is as much affected as any other village in the area?”
However, those few, who had turned up for the meeting, demanded that the waste plant be shifted from its present location. “I want officials to spend 30 minutes in our village, drink contaminated groundwater. I am sure none of them can even stand in the open because of stench, flies and mosquitoes. How can the authorities set up a waste-to-energy plant here when a case is already pending with the National Green Tribunal (NGT)?” asked Mangal Singh Tanwar, a resident of Gwalpahari.
Green activists, who attended the meeting, called the meeting eyewash and demanded one more hearing after releasing the environmental impact assessment (EIA) report on the proposed plant.
“We want the authorities to make the EIA report public first and then call another meeting. This public hearing didn’t serve any purpose as the affected parties were not called or made aware about the issues,” said Vaishali Rana Chandra, an environmentalist.
Raising concerns over the location of the plant, Amina Sherwani, another environmentalist, said, “It is insane that the authorities chose a 125-foot deep mining pit in the eco-sensitive Aravalis for dumping waste from two big cities. After the failure of one project in 2013, the authorities are now building a waste-to-energy plant, which has been unsuccessful across the country. The authorities have already spent Rs 300 crore on this plant and are going to spend over Rs 400 crore more for the waste-to-energy plant. They are experimenting with the lives of people and wasting public money.”
“As per the regional plan of NCRPB, the area falls under a national conservation zone where only 0.5 per cent construction is allowed. The plant, therefore, is violating the sub-regional plan of the government,” said Chetan Agarwal, an environmental analyst.
Agarwal also demanded that Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) be involved in the matter as it was an interstate issue. “According to a report of the Central Pollution Control Board, groundwater of three villages — Dera, Bandhwari and Mangar — is unfit for drinking. As Delhi has also been affected by the waste plant, we need to involve DPCC in the process,” he said.
Additional deputy commissioner RK Singh, during the meeting, said, “We have noted down the demands of all the people present here. We will also send minutes of the meeting to all of them. However, we are concluding this meeting and there won’t be any other public hearing now.”
